


The Other Side of Him

by SpencerRemyLvr



Series: Stalker [1]
Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Human Trafficking, Hurt!Reid, Kidnapping, Spencer is a mutant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:46:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 35,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are things about Spencer Reid that his friends don't know. When Spencer is kidnapped, some of those things start coming to light and his team is forced to ask themselves if they ever truly knew their genius at all. What is this big secret that he's hiding from them? And once they find out, will his life other be the same again? - more notes inside NO X-Men appear in this story!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was partially inspired by IntoTheWilds feline-Reid (I hope you don’t mind how I took and ran with that idea, honey bee!) and has been largely encouraged, edited, and improved by my darling Hisuiko, without whom this never would’ve been born. This is a different story for me for a couple reasons. One, Reid’s mutation in here is very feline based and very—unique. You’ll understand soon enough. And two, there are absolutely no X-Men in this story. It is Spencer and his team. Now, in the next story, of course I’ll bring them in, because I can’t have Spencer without Remy. But I hope you guys enjoy this one. If it seems strange in the prologue, please, just at least try the first chapter or so. Give it a chance. As I said, it’s different, but I think you’ll like it. Don’t forget to leave a review and let me know what you think!

Los Angeles was known to be a city of life and lights. Tonight, those lights were dimmed as a storm began to build over the city. Clouds were thick and heavy in the sky, covering the light of the stars and giving the night an oppressive, almost dangerous feel to it. Only a small sliver of the moon was visible, casting a soft, pale light on the ground, the only break in the dark. In a secluded house situated on the outskirts of the city the dark was even more intense away from all the city lights. Protective walls surrounded a property that was usually kept semi lit with by mounted security lights, but for the past few nights there’d been having trouble with the light system not working. The owner of this expensive house had grown used to the lights shutting off on him for random intervals before turning back on, only to shut off once more. He kept telling himself that he’d have someone come out and check on it soon. Later, he would regret that delay…

In the darkest shadows of the back corner of the yard, a lithe figure dropped gracefully down to the ground. Immediately it started to slip towards the house, clinging to the shadows and bushes as cover. If anyone had been looking, they would’ve seen nothing except for maybe a hint of moonlight glinting off of amber eyes. Nothing else was visible, for the young mutant, and it was a mutant, knew how to use his powers to cling to those shadows. He moved like a hunter stalking his prey; silently and stealthily. Stalker was what he was known by. The name suited him. His mutation was animalistic in nature, granting him physical alterations that made him a sort of cougar/human hybrid. Long legs that were slender yet powerful granted him strength for jumping. His ears held a distinct curve to them and his nose was definitely feline, as were some of the angles on his face. From head to toe he was covered in tawny fur, which turned the color of cream over his mouth, throat, down to his belly, and on his inner legs, just like a cougar. A long tail swished through the air behind him.

There were still human traits, though. He walked on two legs like any human. Though he had pads on the palms of his hands and feet, he still held five digits on each one, even if they did end with retractable claws. He could still speak. His body was basically human, just enhanced by feline traits. Better endurance, stamina, strength, and the enhanced animal senses.

Like any cougar, he was a talented climber. He put that talent to use now as he moved out of the shadows and grabbed hold of the trellis on the side of the house. In short order he’d scaled it up to the nearest window. It was a route he’d plotted out days ago. A claw helped him pop the pathetic lock on the bathroom window. With a whisper of movement he twisted through the window to drop almost silently on the bathroom floor. This was almost too easy. People like this, they thought their security was so perfect. In reality, there were so many holes it was any wonder they managed to keep _anything_ safe.

Stalker resisted the urge to snort to himself. He settled instead for rolling his eyes. He wasn’t here to criticize the security systems of other people. He was here to do a job. A client had hired him to come here tonight to take back what was rightfully hers. Jewelry that her grandmother had given her and that her ex-husband was refusing to allow her to come get. Though young—far younger than many realized—Stalker had a decent reputation as a damn good thief. He could get into places that many others couldn’t. His unique physicality helped him with that. If every now and then he had a pang of conscience, well, all he had to do was remind himself of the stack of bills waiting back at his place, plus the bank account that he was squirreling money away in for when he hit eighteen, and it was enough to push that pang back down once more.

The jewelry was exactly where he’d been told it would be. The jewelry box she’d described to him still sat inside a drawer in the bathroom vanity. Stalker pulled the items out and slipped them into a small velvet pouch. Pulling the drawstrings to close it, he slipped the pouch into the side pocket of his black cargo pants and then secured the pocket. Just as he was crossing the bathroom to go back to the window, something that would require him to pass by the partially open bathroom door, he heard a door out in the master bedroom open.

Only briefly did Stalker freeze. Then he was moving quickly to the window. He stopped by the door, though, when a strange sound caught his attention. Before he could think about the wisdom of his actions, he stepped up to the door and peeked out through the crack. What he saw had him frozen in place.

A well-dressed man was standing in the middle of the room glaring furiously down at the ground. At his feet lay a slender young woman. Stalker couldn’t help but stare at her. She looked somewhere around sixteen years old. Mocha skin was barely covered by a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and was marred here and there by bruising. A riot of black curls framed a face that looked both terrified and hazy. By the look on her face and the heavy way she moved, there was no doubt that she was drugged. Stalker had seen the signs often enough to recognize them.

“You will learn to listen to me.” The man snarled down at her. His hands went to his belt buckle and started to undo it. “I will not be disobeyed in my own home. I paid good money for you, you stupid whore, and you’re going to do _exactly_ what I tell you!”

The whole scene stunned Stalker so much that the man was able to get the first blow with the belt in. The woman’s pained cry echoed around them and it was enough to snap the feline back to the present. A snarl of rage ripped from his chest. He never thought twice about launching out the bathroom door and across the room. His body landed over hers in enough time to take the second blow straight across his back. He absorbed it, ignored it, and twisted his body so that his hand could dart out and grab hold of the belt. He yanked hard and the man let go in obvious shock. The belt went flying across the room to smack into the wall. Bracing his body over the downed young girl, he hissed furiously at the man who had dared to _beat_ her and held out his hands, claws bared.

Shock had the man stumbling back a step. “What the hell?”

Stalker knew the man’s shock wouldn’t last long. Soon, he’d lunge for that door and go call for help. There were two options here: fight or run. The figure still lying on the ground by his feet left him with only one of those options. Stalker quickly stepped back and dipped down to gather the woman up in his arms. She was easy to carry. He was grateful that she was coherent enough to actually wrap her arms around his neck and help hold on. In one great leap, he cleared the room and reached the door out of the room. There was no security here, he knew, and the cameras were down for another three minutes and twenty seconds, as he’d planned. He just hadn’t planned on racing out through the house. Still, at least it was safe to do so.

Behind him he could hear the man shouting out threats. He paid no attention. Holding the girl close, he tore down the curved staircase, grabbing the railing halfway down and making the leap over the edge. The girl clung tightly to him but she didn’t cry out. She just held on tightly as he took off out the front door and down the driveway.

Once outside, it took him no time at all to slip into the shadows and make his way to where he’d hidden his car. He laid the woman down carefully in the backseat and then hurried up into the front seat. Whatever drugs were in the girl’s system were finally taking over. She was out before he even started to pull away. Looking into his rearview mirror, he wondered just what the hell he’d gotten himself into here.

* * *

It took most of the night for whatever was in the girl’s system to finally start to wear off. Stalker could smell the difference in her scent when the drug started to fade. He’d been monitoring her carefully ever since he’d carried her in here and laid her down on his couch. The drugs had kept her out so much that she hadn’t even stirred when he’d laid her down, or as he’d given her a quick check-over. There was no blood-scent, so he hadn’t had to worry about open wounds, but he’d been able to see as he carried her that there were other bruises on her. A few of them looked deep. He couldn’t just leave her lying there without checking her over and making sure there was nothing serious. He needed to know that there were no broken bones. So with a quick, clinical touch, he checked her over as best as he was able.

What he found had him seething and a low growl rumbling down in his chest. There was bruising on her back and on her arms that suggested that this wasn’t the first whipping she’d received. Bruises on her stomach had been carefully checked until he was sure there were no broken ribs underneath. Around one wrist there was dark bruising in which Stalker’s sharp eyes could clearly make out fingers. Someone had gripped her wrist in their hand tightly enough to bruise her that deeply. It took everything the young feline had not to turn around and go back to that house and show the man just what it felt like to be powerless under someone stronger. To keep from giving in, he turned himself to things he _could_ do. He got the girl tucked in with a warm blanket to keep her warm and then he moved over to the stove to start to prepare something easy to eat for when she woke up.

Tuned to her, he was prepared when she started to wake, and he came over to the couch that she was on. In his hands he had a bottle of water. He kept his distance while she slowly drew up out of sleep. There was no telling how she was going to react. Judging by what that guy back there had said, he’d bought the girl from somewhere, so it was a pretty good guess that she wouldn’t wake up relaxed and easy.

He wasn’t wrong. Her scent sharpened all of a sudden with a sour fear smell though her eyes stayed closed. Stalker squatted down a few feet away and rested his arms on his legs. “You’re safe here.” He said in a low, soothing voice. “That man isn’t here. He’s not going to hurt you anymore. You’re safe.”

Large brown eyes blinked open and lifted to fix straight on him. They were much clearer than they’d been earlier. The look there was cautious and just slightly afraid. But when she spoke, her voice was steady. “You saved me.”

He nodded his head. “I did.” Holding out the water, he waited for her soft nod before giving it a light toss. It landed on the couch in front of her. Better right now that he keep his distance and let her feel safe. Something told him she hadn’t had much cause to feel safe lately. “You’re safe here. This is my place and he won’t be able to find you here. He won’t even know to look here.”

“Who are you?” She carefully pushed up, making sure to keep the blanket securely around her. Once up, she reached out to scoop up the water bottle. The way she drank from it suggested that it had been a while since she’d had any, or the drugs had left her mouth really dry.

“People call me Stalker.” For now, that would do.

She gave him a once over and nodded in understanding. Then her eyes lifted to his once more. Unlike most people, she seemed to have no trouble meeting his amber gaze. “People call me Beam.”

Oh. Well, then. That made things quite a bit different. This girl was a mutant. “What can you do?” He asked curiously.

She only hesitated for a second before answering. “I can teleport, but only to places I’ve been and memorized. So don’t get any funny ideas. I’m not drugged anymore. You try anything and I’m out of here.”

That last part was said with quite a bit of bite to it. Stalker smiled approvingly. Good. The girl still had some spunk in there. She was going to need that. It would help her get through the shit that she’d been dealt. “Do you have any family, anyone that I can call for you?”

She shook her head, her expression turning sad. “No one that cares.”

He held back a wince. Too often that was the case for mutants he met. “Okay then. I know some people who run a shelter not far from here. We’ll let you rest up here for a while and then I’ll take you down there to them. They’re great people. They can help you keep away from this guy and give you a safe place to stay. Or, if you want, you can crash here for a little while until you’re ready to move on. Whatever you want to do.”

His words seemed to stun her. She sat there, water bottle held halfway to her mouth, and just stared at him like she couldn’t quite believe what was coming out of his mouth. “You’d let me stay here?”

“Sure.” He shrugged one shoulder casually.

“But…why? You don’t even know me!” Her expression shifted to one of suspicion. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you.” He hurried to reassure her. There was such honesty in his voice that he could actually see her relax just a little. “As for why I’m helping you, well, how can I not? It’s the right thing to do. I could no more turn you out than I could’ve left you back there.”

“I…I can’t pay you. Not for rent or even for food.”

Stalker shrugged his shoulder again. “I told you, I don’t want anything from you. If you feel the need to contribute something, you can wash dishes. I absolutely loathe washing dishes.”

A startled laugh slipped from her. Underneath her shock, he saw a spark of the girl she must’ve been before this. Her spirit hadn’t been broken by her ordeal. It was still there, still alive. It showed in her eyes and in the small smile that graced her lips. “I don’t imagine dishes are easy for you to do.” She gestured towards his hands.

Looking down, he smiled at his hands and then looked back up at her. He drew a deep breath in and reached for that place deep inside of himself. This was something he’d never quite been able to explain to anyone else. It was almost like flipping a switch down inside of himself, yet that didn’t quite explain it either. That was the closest he could come to explaining how he did what he did. With that little ‘flick of the switch’, his body went through the oh-so-familiar shift. In just seconds, the feline was gone, and in his place was a young man only sixteen years old. Long brown hair hung loosely around a pale skinned face, framing shy brown eyes. The longer limbs of his other form had only shortened slightly to this one, though he was thinner this way and definitely less muscular. His voice was just a bit softer, too. “It’s not so hard for me to do them. I just really, really don’t like to.”

This girl was proving more and more interesting. Not only had she met his eyes before, something that almost no one else could do, but she didn’t even flinch now at his transformation. If anything, it made her smile grow. “I don’t mind doing dishes.”

Smiling, he pushed up from his crouch. His body was just a couple inches shorter in this form. “I’d say we have a deal then, Beam. For as long as you need, you’re welcome here.”

She tipped her head up towards him and a bit more of her fear faded away. “Tanya.” She said. “My friends call me Tanya.”

“Nice to meet you, Tanya. My name’s Spencer. Spencer Reid.”

PART ONE

_*This story starts just a bit before “True Genius” in season 7*_

The deep sound of his best friend’s laughter had Spencer's lips curving. It didn’t matter that it was Spencer that Derek was laughing at. The man had one of those laughs that just made a person want to smile. Together, the two profilers climbed inside of Derek’s far. It was the end of yet another case at the BAU and they were both ready to go home. Since Derek had driven Spencer to work the day that the case came in, he was taking him back home now, while simultaneously taking the time to tease Spencer unmercifully. This last case had taken them to Reno and one of their victim’s family members had worked at a casino there. Aaron had tried to send Derek and Spencer to talk to him and Spencer had been forced to tell his friends that he wasn’t allowed to step foot inside of that casino. Ever since then, Derek had been trying to get the story out of him. Since Spencer wouldn’t tell him, he kept coming up with elaborate stories of his own to try and ‘guess’ what had happened.

“I told you, Morgan, there’s no story to tell.” Spencer insisted, buckling his seatbelt.

Derek shot him an amused look while starting the car. “Oh yeah? Then why won’t you say why you got 86’d?”

A devilish smile curved Spencer's lips. “Because it’s infinitely more fun to torture you.”

“There’s a bit of a sadist in you, kid. You know that?”

“Absolutely not. And I no longer qualify as ‘kid’, Morgan. I’m almost thirty now.”

Once more, Derek’s laughter echoed around them. He backed his car out of the parking spot and then headed out towards the road. “Yeah, yeah, big man on campus now.” Stopping at the exit to the road, Derek reached out and tugged on a bit of Spencer's hair, laughing when his hand was swatted away. “Get back to me when you look older than twenty, _kid_.”

“I can’t help how I look!” Spencer argued. He knew he looked younger than he really was. He always had.

The teasing kept up for the whole drive home. By the time they arrived at Spencer's apartment, his face hurt from smiling so much and his belly had that good ache that came from laughter. He was still laughing as he climbed out of the car. “Go home, you lunatic!” He shouted out laughingly. His laughter grew when Derek saluted him with his middle finger. God, that man was a lunatic, but he was hilarious.  Spencer carried his good mood with him while he went upstairs. That ride home with Derek had been the perfect antidote to any memories this case had left behind. How could he be upset about anything after a ride like that? For the millionth time since he’d met him, Spencer gave thanks for a friend like Derek Morgan.

Spencer unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside with a soft little sigh. He shut and locked the door behind him and he set to work shedding the layers of Dr. Reid. His messenger bag went in the hall closet along with his sweater. The go-bag was taken back to his bedroom and emptied into the dirty clothes basket. Almost nine years at the BAU made it a habit to immediately restock the bag and then set it aside just in case another case came in. Once that was ready, Spencer stripped out of his clothes, adding them to the dirty clothes basket. In the privacy of his own home he had no qualms about walking naked to the bathroom. 

Twenty minutes later he was back in his bedroom, freshly showered, and was grabbing a pair of sweats and a tank top from his dresser. He dressed himself and then padded barefoot out to his kitchen. Luckily there was still some good food in his cupboards. He pulled out a can of tuna and made up a quick batch of tuna fish. Then, with a sandwich on his plate and a bag of Fritos, he headed out to his couch. Time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a meal. No deadline he was working towards, no case praying on his mind; nothing to do but just sit here and relax.

The last DVD he’d watched was still in his DVD player. Spencer picked up the remote and turned the TV on and then set the movie to play where he’d left off. The theme music to his favorite British TV show filled his apartment. Grinning, he folded his legs under him, set his plate on his lap, and lost himself in Doctor Who.

He made it through one who episode before his phone rang. It was his house phone, though, not his cell phone, meaning that it wasn’t work. Because of that, he debated for a moment before giving in and answering it. “Reid.”

“ _Ah, so you are home._ ”

That familiar voice had Spencer's lips curving. He leaned against the arm of the couch and stretched his long legs out. “Seeing as how I’m answering the phone, that’s a logical assumption to make.”

“ _Oh, shut up, you brat._ ” Tanya laughed.

“All right, but I don’t really see the point of a phone conversation if I’m not allowed to talk.” He teased.

She laughed again. “ _Listen to you! Someone’s in a fine mood tonight.”_

“Why wouldn’t I be? We wrapped up our case, saved the victim, locked away the Unsub, and I’m happily back at home now. I had a shower, a meal, and Doctor Who is playing. What more could a guy want?”

“ _Sex_.” She answered promptly.

Though Spencer blushed a little at the bluntness, it didn’t stop his words. He’d long since crossed that comfort boundary with Tanya. There wasn’t much they didn’t talk about. “Don’t remind me, Tanya. It’s been so long I’m not sure I remember how it works.”

“ _Oh, I think you’d remember quick enough, honey. You know, if you got out of that apartment once in a while, maybe went out somewhere, you might meet a nice…_ ”

“Did you call to lecture on my love life, or was there some other purpose to this call?” Spencer interrupted dryly. He’d heard this speech plenty of times from her and it wasn’t one he wanted to get into right now. His mood was too good to be soured by talk of his love life. Or, more appropriately, his lack of one.

Tanya let him get away with the topic change, though she chuckled at him. “ _Actually, yes, there was a purpose. I’ve got a bit of good news. The package you sent out made it to its destination safely. I thought you’d like to know that.”_

Oh, that _was_ good news. Spencer couldn’t help but grin. “That’s wonderful. I’m happy to hear that.”

 _“I thought you might be.”_ Her voice was warm and just as pleased as his was. “ _Well, that was all I wanted to pass along, honey. I won’t keep you on here. I know better than to disturb ‘Who Time’. You have a good, relaxing night and I’ll call you in the next couple days, okay?”_

“Okay. You have a good night too, Tanya.”

“ _Always, honey. Love you!”_

The phone clicked before he got the chance to respond. Spencer shook his head as he pressed the off button. A yawn slipped free as he lifted his arms above his head and stretched his whole body out. He curled it back in on a sigh and happily snuggled down into the couch. One foot dangled off the edge of the couch and was swaying idly. Content, he let himself get lost in his show once more while his body slowly relaxed. He was still smiling slightly when he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The calls started coming in around three a.m. Reports of a disturbance inside of an apartment building. Some of the calls claimed that they heard loud noises while others swore there was a fight happening. They claimed they heard crashes and shouts. One common thing amongst the calls, however, was that all of them were absolutely sure where it came from and they were positive that it meant trouble. When one of the dispatches who took the call suggested that maybe there might be a party happening and asked if there was music to go with the noises, he found himself summarily chewed out for even making the suggestion and assured that there was something dangerous going on up there and they needed to send back up, right now! “It’s coming from Spencer's apartment, right above mine!” One of the callers told them. “He’s a federal agent. He doesn’t have parties up there. You need to send someone, now!”

That got them moving. Learning that the person who lived there was a federal agent gave the idea of a fight a little more meaning. It made it just slightly more dangerous, too. A call went out for any available units close to the address to respond. Ten minutes after the calls came in, police officers were flooding the hallway outside of Spencer Reid’s apartment, guns held at the ready. They knew there was trouble before they even got close. There was no longer any noise coming from in there, the whole floor seemed eerily quiet, but the front door to the apartment was hanging wide open. Here and there, heads poked out of apartment doors, everyone watching and waiting to see what happened as the officers moved into the apartment.

The officers cleared the apartment and found absolutely no one inside. They did, however, find very obvious signs of a struggle. The apartment looked like it had been the site of one hell of a fight. Books were knocked all over the place, the couch was tipped over, the coffee table lying broken on the ground. A bookshelf had been knocked over on top of a chair and all the books spilled on the ground around it. Even the TV had been hit, the screen cracked. One of the windows against the far wall was shattered.

Even more disturbing were the claw marks that were all over. It looked like a wild animal had been loosed in here. There were gouges in the floor and the walls that looked some animal had slashed or swiped at them. A set of rips ran across part of the couch. Every officer had almost the same thought as they looked around. What the hell had happened in here?

They called in their report to their chief, who then ran the name of the tenant and verified who he was and where he worked. Then the chief put in the call to the number listed for the agent’s Unit Chief.

It only took fifteen minutes after the police swarmed the apartment before the first black SUV pulled up outside. From it spilled three agents. Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, and Emily Prentiss. Even as they climbed out, another car pulled up and Derek Morgan and Jennifer Jareau climbed out. Their faces were all a study of controlled emotion as they gathered around SSA Hotchner before entering the building.

One of the first things Aaron did when they reached the apartment was request that the officers clear out for a few moments to allow them to work. The team stood out in the hallway, faces impassive, and they waited until the whole apartment was clear before they went inside. This not only allowed them the freedom to view the scene before it became too messed up by officers and the crime scene unit, but it gave them privacy as well. That proved to be a good idea. Their control fractured at their first sight of the chaos waiting inside. Only Aaron managed to keep hold of his composure. Derek swore as his wide eyes took in everything and Emily made a small, pained sound. A low whistle came from David. It was JJ who voice what they were all thinking, though. “What _happened_ in here? It looks like a warzone.”

“That’s what we need to figure out.” Aaron said firmly. His voice sounded so cold and callous. To those that knew him, they could hear the ache underneath it and they could see his worry in the extra lines that appeared around his eyes.

It was difficult for them all to walk through their friend’s home and try to profile the scene. Only Derek and JJ had been here before; for the others, it was the first time they were inside Spencer's apartment. He was a very private person and he rarely invited others over. That just made their search feel all the more intrusive. Each one of them knew that Spencer would be mortified when he found out. He would understand why they’d had to do it, sure. But Derek knew that his private friend would feel violated by this intrusion into his personal space.

“What time did you drop him off, Morgan?” JJ asked him while she made her way to the kitchen.

Derek had to think for a second before he answered. The memory of Spencer laughing while walking away replayed in Derek’s mind. “It was probably somewhere around eight or eight fifteen. He was fine when he went inside.”

“The police chief said that the calls started coming in around three a.m. So something happened between eight last night and three this morning.” Aaron said. He was standing in the middle of what was supposed to be the living room. His sharp gaze was moving over the mess that was the coffee table and over to the wall where it looked like someone had crashed into the movie stand and knocked it over.

Emily made as if to head down the hallway towards where Spencer's bathroom and bedroom were at and Derek quickly moved to stop her. He caught her shoulder before she could go more than a few steps. A pained expression was on his face when Emily turned to look at him. “Let me look back there.” That pained look grew just a little stronger and his hand spasmed slightly on her shoulder before he let go. By the look on her face, he saw that she understood. Derek knew it wasn’t much but he wanted to be able to reassure Spencer when they found him that he’d helped preserve at least a little of his dignity. The genius would much prefer that Derek went through his bedroom than one of the others. Derek was the only one of them that had been that far into the apartment. He’d been back there a few times when Spencer had first come home after his knee surgery. Derek had stayed here with him for a few days before finally deciding that enough was enough. He’d gathered Spencer up then and forced the man to come and stay with him until he was a little more mobile.

Relief filled him when he found nothing to indicate that anyone had been back here. Everything looked normal. There were no signs of a struggle or even of a search. Derek even checked the well hidden panel in the bottom of Spencer's dresser where his friend had once told him that he kept important papers and such. He’d told Derek about it during the anthrax incident, just in case things didn’t work out. It didn’t look like it had been messed with. Neither did the lockbox in the closet.

He made his way back out to join the others in the living room. “It doesn’t look like burglary was a motive here. Nothing back there was messed with and none of his valuables are gone. His hidden safe and his lockbox are both still there."

“Reid was what they were after.” Emily said.

Squatting down by a set of claw marks in the floor, Dave ran a gloved finger over one of the gouges. “Whoever it was had some serious strength to back them.”

“Spence didn’t go easy, though.” JJ pointed out. “This place is trashed. He put up a fight.”

“Why would someone want to take him?” Emily asked. She spread her hands out, gesturing at the mess around her. “Look at all the effort they went to just to take him. If they wanted to hurt or kill him, they could’ve just done it. Instead, they fought with him and somehow took him out of here. That means they have to want him for something. But, what?”

“Let’s walk through this.” Aaron interrupted. He turned towards them and swept the room with his eyes once last time before settling on his team again. “Morgan, come over here, and Dave, go to the door. Let’s see if we can walk through what happened here.”

This was something they were all familiar with. They’d done this on countless crime scenes before, putting themselves into the shoes of their victim and Unsub to better understand what happened and, through that, maybe gain some helpful insight. Dave went to the door. First and foremost, he looked at the lock. “Okay, there are obvious signs of tampering here. Someone picked the lock.”

“Reid’s bed was made, so he was probably out here on the couch.” Derek said. A look back showed that the DVD player was running, though the broken TV showed no image. “He had a movie going. Most likely he fell asleep watching something.”

“Would he have heard the lock being picked?” Emily asked.

Derek nodded his head. “There’s a good possibility. Reid sleeps lighter than anyone I know. Anything out of the ordinary wakes him up.”

“Let’s say he heard the scratching at the lock.” JJ suggested. “He’d go for his gun, first.”

“It’s still in the holster on his dresser.” Derek said.

Everyone turned their eyes over that direction. Derek moved from the couch and over towards the hallway that led back to the bedroom. “So he’d be going down this way when the door opens and the Unsub comes in.”

Dave moved in from the door and made a straight line for Derek. It lined them up perfectly with a knocked over chair and spilled books right at the entrance to the hallway. “From the looks of it, the Unsub rushed in, maybe tried to tackle him, and they knocked over the chair here.”

“From there, they rolled around, knocking into the coffee table and this end table.” Derek gestured with his hands, stepping through things as he tried to follow the trail in the mess. If you looked carefully, you could almost see the path. His too vivid imagination painted up images to go with it that had his stomach clenching. “Reid’s not a fighter, but he’s gotten better at self-defense and he’s surprisingly good at evasion. He would’ve tried to break free and put a bit of distance between them. Use some object to separate them so he could try again for his gun or maybe for a phone.”

JJ squatted down near the far end of the couch and picked up the broken remnants of Spencer's home phone. “It looks like he tried for the phone. He probably put the couch between them.”

All eyes went to the slashes in the couch. Each face there showed a different reaction to it. Fear, worry, and on one, disgust. “Our Unsub’s obviously a mutant.” Emily put to words what they were all thinking. “Something with a physical mutation. Animalistic, maybe.”

“You don’t think…” JJ’s voice trailed off, but her eyes were wide as she looked up at them. They all knew what she was unable to say. There were files on any known, dangerous mutants that were kept at the Bureau for all agents to see. They were encouraged to view and study them so that, if they ever encountered one of them in the field, they would have a better chance of survival. There was one in there that had a physical mutation with claws like this.

Aaron shook his head. “No. If this was Sabretooth, the damage would be worse and we would’ve found blood of some sort. He’s known for enjoying making his victims bleed, even the ones he keeps alive.” He said. Only David seemed to catch the slight hint of disgust in Aaron’s tone, or the small curl to his lip. The others were still too busy looking around the room to notice. But it was only there for a minute and then it was gone again and Aaron’s face was once more smooth. “Whoever this is, it isn’t someone that’s documented. It would be easier if the registration bill had passed. We’d just be able to look it up in the system then.”

“Mutants have a right to their privacy.” Emily said, her gaze slightly surprised as she looked at Aaron.

What their Unit Chief thought of that, he didn’t say. He just looked around the room once more before bringing them back on the important things. “We need to go back to the BAU and start pulling old case files.” Aaron said. “Dave, you and I will head back and start gathering them up. JJ, I want you to go get Garcia and bring her in. We’re going to need her for this. Prentiss, Morgan, I want you two to stay here until the Bureau’s CSU gets here to take over the scene. I’ll send other agents over with them to help keep the scene secure. Once they get here, I want the two of you to talk to the neighbors and see what you can find out. Maybe one of them saw or heard something that can help us. Someone has to know something; there were five different calls made about the disturbance here. One of them might be able to give us something to help. When you’re done, head back to the Bureau.”

Determination filled them all. With something to do, something to focus on, they all managed to find a bit of their inner strength. Fear was pushed down. They would do their jobs, the same as they always did, and they would bring their youngest home. They would find him, no matter what it took.

* * *

Derek flopped down into his chair in the conference room with a sound of disgust. “Not a single person saw anything.” He told the other two that were in the room; Dave and JJ. Beside him, Emily took a seat as well, looking just as disgusted as he was. “Pretty much the whole building heard the fight and not a one of them saw a damn thing. How is it this guy gets in, gets Reid, and gets out without getting seen by anyone?”

“We know whoever took him is a mutant.” JJ pointed out. “Maybe the claws aren’t the only part of the mutation. There are plenty of other options. Teleportation, flight, or maybe telepathy. Aren’t there telepaths that can make you ‘not see’ them?”

“There had to be something, cause no one saw anyone leave.” Derek said. He sat back in his chair and just a bit of his temper and worry faded away. A tiny hint of a smile touched his lips. “Trust me, any of the residents would’ve seen if someone had come past. I didn’t realize the kid had so many friends in that building. Everyone there knew him.”

Emily smiled as well and nodded at the others. “Not just knew him; they absolutely adore him. I lost track of how many times I heard someone call him sweet, or kind, or helpful. In one apartment, the woman said he helps her high school son with his calculus homework whenever he needs it. At another, the girl there said that Reid helped her do her scholarship paperwork for school and even helped her to find a job at the library so she could pay for the things the scholarship doesn’t cover.”

“I talked to an elderly lady that said that Reid helps her go shopping once a month and that he comes in and fixes her TV for her every time it goes on the fritz.” Derek added in.

Footsteps echoed in the hall behind them, cutting into their conversation and making them all turn their heads. “Garcia got a number off of Reid’s phone records.” Aaron said without preamble as he made his way into the conference room, file folder in hand. The expression on his face was all business. One of their own was missing and nothing was going to get in the way of getting him back. Until they had him, Aaron would be focused and determined. It showed in the no-nonsense tone to his voice. “One call came in last night, about forty five minutes after you dropped him off, Morgan. It’s the last call that came in. Garcia traced it to a woman named Tanya Bingham. She’s a middle school psychologist. Morgan, Prentiss, I want you two to go over there and talk with her. She was the last one that we know of to speak with Reid. Dave, you and JJ go back to Reid’s apartment and look around to see if you can find anything in there. The CSU should be done by now. Let’s move, people.”

The little moment of levity that the group had shared while discussing Spencer's neighbors was now gone. Everyone pushed up from their chairs to head out to their respective assignments. As they passed through the bullpen, other agents watched them go past in silence. Most all of them were thinking the same thing. Whoever had dared to take one of that team obviously wasn’t very intelligent. They had no idea just what they’d unleashed on themselves. Because this team was known for their skills. They were considered the ‘elite’ team here at the BAU. And they were also all very, very protective of their youngest member. They would find him and woe betide whoever had been dumb enough to mess with them.

PART TWO

_*I made up the middle school here._

It was almost eight thirty in the morning when Derek and Emily pulled up to Harrison Middle School. At this time of morning school was just starting, meaning that Tanya Bingham would be at work. Hopefully she would be able to provide them with some kind of information so that this trip wasn’t a wasted one. Derek knew that speaking to friends and family and doing interviews like this were an important part of the investigation. He knew things like this were their best chance at finding his friend. This was how they did things. The team had found countless people by following these methods. As a profiler, Derek knew all of that. As a friend, he wanted to tell all of them to go to hell and just demand that someone bring his friend back home.

The lady at the front desk directed them back to Tanya’s office. A few minutes later they were knocking at a door marked “Counselor” and a woman’s voice was calling out “Come in!”

Though neither agent had really realized that they were doing it, both of them had built a small image in their minds of the type of person they expected to find. Aaron had only given them her information, not her picture, so they hadn’t been quite sure what they would find. But each one had thought that a friend of Spencer's, and a psychologist to boot, might be a bit like him. The woman that rose when they came in didn’t match their imaginations at all. The thirty-one year old woman looked, at most, in her early twenties. A long, curvy figure was packed into dark blue jeans, a black tank top, and a black and gray striped suit jacket that was well tailored to her figure. Black curls hung to her shoulders, framing a beautiful, smiling face that was accentuated by high cheekbones and bright, intelligent eyes. All in all, she was stunningly beautiful.

Derek only faltered for a moment. Then he pushed his surprise aside and focused back on what was important. “Ms. Tanya Bingham?”

Her smile as she rose to greet them was polite and open. “That’s me.”

The two agents pulled out their credentials and held them up to her. “My name’s Derek Morgan and this is Emily Prentiss. We were wondering if we might have a moment of your time to ask you a few questions.” Derek asked.

Almost instantly the smile wiped off of her face. Tanya stepped out from behind the desk and around the edge of it, her eyes intent on his face. “Did something happen to Spencer?” She asked him quickly. “Is he hurt?”

So she knew who they were. Derek felt just a slight pang at that. How was it that this woman knew about them yet they’d never heard of her before today? _Now’s not the time to think of that. Find Reid first. There’s nothing more important. All these questions can wait until we get him home!_ He reminded himself.

“We’re not sure.” Emily said gently beside him. “He’s missing right now, Ms. Bingham. I’m sorry.”

Tanya stopped in front of them and she looked stricken. Either she was the most talented actress they’d ever met or she was honestly stunned by their information. Emily moved quickly, catching her arm just as she stumbled back a little. With Emily’s help, Tanya leaned back against the desk, sitting on the edge. She lifted one hand and pressed her palm flat against her stomach. “God. When was he taken? Are there any leads? Do you have any idea who might’ve taken him?”

They couldn’t exactly tell her that they had a whole lot of nothing to go on. Derek ignored her question and moved over to the side of the room where a water cooler and paper cups sat. After filling one, he brought it over and handed it to her. “Here, ma’am.”

She flashed him a small grateful smile that quickly faded away. With a slightly shaky hand, she took the cup from him and took a few small sips. “I’m sorry.” She apologized to them. Her hand was just a little steadier when she set her cup down. “I shouldn’t bombard you with questions. I doubt that helps anything. Spencer says you guys are the best at what you do. So, what is it I can do for you?”

“According to Reid’s phone records, you were the last person to speak with him last night.” Derek said. “Did he seem upset at all when you talked with him? Worried, maybe?”

Tanya shook her head. “No, nothing like that. He was sassy, actually. I was teasing him about being in such a good mood. He told me that you guys had solved your case, locked away the Unsub, and that he was home, had showered and eaten, and was watching Doctor Who. He was pretty happy with life in general.”

“That sounds like Reid.” Emily said, smiling.

“I didn’t want to disturb him too much, so we didn’t stay on the phone long. I hadn’t even figured on catching him.” Tanya told them. She reached up and brushed a few curls back from her face. “I’d thought I would just get his answering machine. I was going to leave him a message to let him know that I got a call to let me know that a package we’d sent out to a friend of ours had arrived. I knew he’d be glad to hear that. After that, I let him go so he could enjoy his show. We were on the phone five minutes, maybe.”

The two agents exchanged a quick look. That matched with the phone records. Emily turned back to her and put on a slightly apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I hate to do this but I have to ask—can you verify your whereabouts between nine pm last night until eight thirty this morning?”

She didn’t even flinch at the question. “I was at home. A friend of mine, McKenna, lives with me and last night was her night off. She can verify that I was there all night until I came in for work this morning.” Reaching behind her, she grabbed a notebook and a pen. She flipped the notebook open and scribbled a number down on the page. “Here’s her cell phone number. You can go ahead and give her a call and she’ll verify I was there.” She tore the paper out and held it out to Derek. “Please, don’t tell her what this is about, though.” She paused and something flashed briefly across her face. It was gone so quickly neither profiler was even sure they’d seen it. Then her expression was back to the same concerned one it had been. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather tell her face to face.”

“She knows Reid, too?” Derek asked, taking the paper from her.

She nodded her head and had to brush her curls back from her face again. “Yeah. We actually met through him a few years back. I was in need of a roommate and he brought her to my place. She’s lived with me ever since then.” She blinked her eyes a few times and they could see that she was battling back moisture there. “Do you guys have any idea who could’ve done this? When was he taken?”

Derek shook his head. “Nothing yet, ma’am. Whoever it was, they took him from his apartment around three this morning. But, we will figure this out. We’ll find him.”

There was nothing more that she could do for them. Emily thanked her for her time and then they left her still sitting on the edge of her desk, staring down at the ground with a pained look. They waited until they were outside before they started to talk.  “I think she’s telling the truth.” Emily said to him. “She seemed genuinely surprised and upset when we told her that Reid was missing.”

“Yeah, she did.” Derek agreed.

As they reached the back of the SUV, Emily stopped and looked back at the building. There was something that was bugging her about the end of that meeting. Something in her body language that had caught Emily’s attention. “Something tells me she’s hiding something, though.”

Derek stopped beside her and turned back to look at the school as well. He’d caught the same thing that Emily had and it was nagging at him, too. “You saw that, too?”

“Yeah. When you said we didn’t know who had done this, she tensed up a little and she got this strange look on her face.” Emily turned to look at Derek. “She either knows something or thinks she does.”

“I don’t think she had anything to do with his disappearance. She was too upset for that. It’s obvious just by watching her that she cares about him. But I think you may be right; she may not know who did this, but she’s got an idea. One that she’s not telling us.”

“We can’t make her tell us.” Emily pointed out. Frustration tinged her voice. “The best we can do is talk to Hotch and see if we can bring her in. Maybe she’ll open up a little more in a different setting.

Fighting back the urge to storm in there and demand she tell them what she knew, Derek finally nodded. Without another word, he and Emily turned back around and went to their car. They’d bring her in later and see if they could get out of her whatever it was she thought she knew.

* * *

While those two were interviewing Tanya, across town Dave and JJ were at Spencer's apartment once more. Now that the CSU had run through here and done everything that they could, the place was not only free for them to look at, but everything was safe for them to touch now without risking tampering with the crime scene. What they were looking for, neither one was sure. Just something, anything, that might point them in the right direction.

They worked separately once they got inside. JJ went to one half of the room while Dave took the other. They didn’t really speak to one another. What words were there to say right now? What could be said to make this any easier? It was one thing to go through the home of a victim they didn’t know. It was something else entirely when that victim was one of their closest friends. JJ kept picturing how upset Spencer would be by all of this and she would grimace. He’d hate this so much.

She squatted down by one of the knocked over bookcases and winced at the sight of all the sprawled out books. “Spence would hate this.” She didn’t realize at first that she’d said the words out loud until Dave responded to it. “Yeah. He’d hate seeing all these books treated this way.”

“More than that. He may be messy, but he’s got a system for it all.” How many times had she seen him go to a pile that she had thought was chaos and manage to pull out exactly what he needed without even having to search around? One of the benefits of an eidetic memory, she guess. “He says ‘I have a great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift’.”

Dave smiled at that, lifting a book and setting it on one of the few upright shelves. “I’ve heard him say that. It’s a quote from Septima Poinsette Clark. It sure seems to suit the kid.”

Shifting some books out of the way, JJ set them in a stack against the wall. When she turned back to keep looking, she caught sight of something at the bottom of the bookshelf. “What’s this?”

“You find something?”

“I’m not sure.” She shifted her weight a little and moved so she could better look at the bottom of the shelf. There _was_ something in there. JJ reached in and felt along the underside of the shelf. Only a second later, she found it. A quick press and she felt a small part of the wood pop free. Her lips curved up in an amused smile and she looked up at Dave, who had come over to watch. “There’s a hidden compartment here.”

A smile lit Dave’s face. “Leave it to Reid.”

“He is a magician. Trapdoors and hidden things kind of come with the territory.” The little door was moved and she pulled out two tall, thin books. She brought them out and rose to her feet, holding them out in front of her while opening up one. A look inside had her eyebrows going up with surprise. “They’re ledgers. He was hiding ledgers.”

“Coded ones.” Dave pointed to one of the columns. “None of the entries make any sense.”

“Why would he code his ledgers, though?”

Neither one of them liked the thoughts that came with that. People who coded things usually had a reason for doing so. The only reasons that someone might code a ledger like this, well, they weren’t good ones, that was for sure. But Spencer couldn’t be involved in something like that! Could he?

JJ looked down at the book a moment longer before closing it. The worry in her heart grew just a little more. “We need to take these back with us.”

“This, too.” Dave held his hand up and showed her a cell phone. At her curious look, he gestured over to the couch. “I found it in the fabric under the couch just before you pulled those out.”

“Hidden ledgers, a hidden phone…what’s Spence gotten into?”

This whole thing was just getting stranger and stranger. None of this seemed right. Spencer was a sweet, innocent guy. Awkward, nerdy, with a giant heart and a shy little smile. He wasn’t the type to be involved in something shady. Yet…the evidence here was damning. JJ looked at the items she held and wondered what else they were going to uncover. How much more was she going to discover about her friend? And what was going to happen when she did? Something told her that things were never going to be the same again.

 

PART THREE

Once more the team was gathered in the conference room. This time, though, none of them seemed to know quite what to say. They were all staring at the ledgers that were open on the table in front of them, as well as the phone that rested there. Each one of them had already looked at both of them. On the phone they’d found numbers that Penelope was still trying to trace. So far, three of the six numbers there had traced back to other prepaid phones, giving them absolutely nothing. Nothing except more questions. Those questions grew even more when they looked at the ledgers. What was written in them was obviously written in code. Nothing in them made sense. Then again, Spencer was their expert at codes. How could they have any hope of cracking a code that he’d most likely made himself?

None of this made any sense. Stuff like this, it was what people did when they were involved in shady things. Drugs, gambling, and other, darker things. But there was no way that their Spencer could be involved in anything like that…could he?

JJ broke the silence that fell over them. “There’s got to be an explanation for this.”

“There are lots of explanations.” Dave pointed out.

“But none of them fit.” Emily argued. She looked around the table at the rest of the team. “Come on, guys, you can’t seriously believe that Reid could be involved in something shady?”

Of course no one wanted to believe it. The evidence, however… “What other explanation is there?” Aaron asked. He hated having to say it; hated, even, having to think it. It didn’t fit with the person that all of them knew. Or, the person they’d thought they’d known. Aaron pulled one of the ledgers over and ran his eyes down the page once more. “It seems like there’s a lot that we don’t know about Reid. We have to entertain the fact that there might be parts of Reid’s life we just don’t know about. None of us _want_ to think it, but evidence doesn’t lie.”

“Evidence lies all the time.” Derek argued. “How do we know someone didn’t plant these there? There’s no proof that they’re Reid’s at all.”

It was a weak argument and they all knew it. There was no reason that Spencer would keep a set of coded ledgers hidden away if they were from someone else. Besides, even JJ, who wanted more than anything to think that her friend wasn’t involved in anything bad, even she could tell that the handwriting was his. No one else had that messy sort of scrawl. “You know they’re his, Morgan. That messy writing is unmistakable.” She pointed out softly.

The argument was broken before it could really get going. Penelope’s arrival in the room cut off any conversation. All eyes turned to her while she made her way over to them, laptop in hand. Her eyes darted briefly to the table top, almost like she couldn’t resist. Then her spine firmed and she lifted her chin, her gaze turning to Aaron. There was absolutely no doubt about what she felt. Ledgers, strange phones, none of that mattered to her. What mattered to her was Spencer. The rest would be worried about later.

Aaron straightened up when she got close. “What do you have, Garcia?”

“I got nothing else off the prepaid phone. All the numbers on there just led to more prepaid phones. Nothing traced back to anywhere. But some of the numbers from the prepaid phone did show up on the records for Reid’s home phone in the past six months.” She held her laptop in one arm and tapped her other hand across the keys, pulling up the information she had there. She drew in a breath and a look of discomfort crossed her face. They all knew how she felt about digging into the lives of her friends this way. To do it to others was one thing; to dig around in the life of someone she cared about always left her feeling just a little bit dirty. She pushed it down, though, and moved on to the next thing. “I looked into his bank records the way you asked. There’s nothing suspicious in there. A few random purchases here and there, typical stuff, and then he has auto payments set up for phone, electricity, things like that.”

That broke the tension just enough to make a few of them smile. Everyone on the team had nagged at Spencer to set up auto payments at one point or another. More than once over the years Spencer had come home to an apartment with no electricity because he’d forgotten to make his payment. He always told them that, with their job, he just forgot little details like paying his power bill sometimes. The only bill that had always been paid on time was his cell phone and that was because it was for work and he knew better than to be without his work phone.

“Okay.” Aaron looked down at the ledgers and phone once more and then back up to Penelope. “Look into those prepaid numbers for me and see if you can get anything at all off of them. Anything, Garcia. Even just a location where they were most used. Any information we can get right now helps us build our profile.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The rest of us are going to get started on pulling up old case files. We can’t discount the fact that this could be someone from a past case trying to get revenge.” It wouldn’t be the first time.

“That’s a hell of a stack to go through.” Dave pointed out.

The man had no idea. Aaron knew that Spencer had consulted in other departments, helped out on other cases, and those needed to be added to the pile, too. But they had absolutely nothing else to go on right now. This was one of their best hopes. “I’ll put the coffee on.”

* * *

One of their best hopes was looking to be a big bust. Thirty three hours. That was how long that Spencer had been gone. Almost a day and a half and they still had no real leads. Oh, there were stacks of potential cases that they’d discovered. The team had worked all through the night, taking turns here and there to nap, and they’d gone through tons of cases and pulled aside the ones that they thought might be working looking at more in depth, but each one that they dug deeper in proved useless. They just weren’t finding any leads. Nothing in them matched what they were seeing now. None of the people that might have a grudge against Spencer were coming up as likely suspects. Some were dead, some were incarcerated, some were free, but a check by Penelope showed none of them having made a trip to DC.

Penelope had been working as hard, if not harder, than all of them. She was running so many different searches on her computer. She’d called in Kevin for the extra help and the two were doing everything they could to weed through the names that they were being given. At the same time, she was digging through Spencer's work email—the only email he had—and she was trying to find out if there was anything near his apartment building that might have a security feed she could look at to see if they had a view of Spencer's building.

That was the one that was getting to everyone the most. With no one having seen Spencer and whoever took him leaving the building, they had to wonder just what happened. There was no doubt in their minds that a mutant had been in the apartment. It was easy to decide that the mutant had some power that helped them get out of there. But that didn’t really help them at all. Knowing that a mutant used powers to get him out of there didn’t give them anything to work with. It didn’t help in any way. If anything, it made it all just a little worse. That meant that there’d be no trail to follow and most likely no sightings. So they sat here with their case files and hoped against hope that something would turn up or at least give them a small clue as to which direction to even begin to look in.

The quiet of the room was suddenly broken by the loud sound of a file hitting the table. Everyone looked up and over to their Unit Chief, the one that had tossed the file down. “Okay, let’s set things down for a minute. We need to clear our minds.” Aaron suggested. He leaned back in his chair, his expression just as tight as the others around him. To those that knew how to look, his worry was written plainly in the lines on his face and the tension in his body. But by far, out of them all, Derek was taking it the hardest. He couldn’t help but feel as if he’d failed the kid he’d swore he’d protect. Time and time again Spencer had been hurt on the job and Derek had made a promise each time to try and protect him better the next time around. Yet time and time again he failed in that promise. If they didn’t find Spencer, Aaron wasn’t sure what it would do to Derek. To any of them, really.

Emily put her hands over her eyes for a moment to rub the sleep out of them. “Maybe we’re looking at this in the wrong direction.” She suggested. As much as she didn’t want to say this next bit, she knew they had to at least address it. “Is there any chance that this was a mutant attack?”

The lines on Aaron’s face deepened ever so slightly and his eyes hardened. “Some of the more radical groups _have_ come after agents to take them and make some kind of statement with them later, like prisoners of war.” Though he tried to cover it, there was a biting quality to his words that earned him a few sideways looks. But everyone was too focused on finding Spencer to worry about their Unit Chief’s opinion on mutants. Now wasn’t the time for that.

“I don’t know. I don’t think it fits.” JJ protested. “They would’ve left some message at his apartment, or they would’ve sent something to us by now. For something like that, the message is what’s important and Spence would just be a means to an end. There’s no point in doing something like this if you don’t claim it.” She was tapping a pen on her leg, her eyes closed as she tipped her head back for a moment of rest. “We just need to find a new angle to look at. We’re missing something here.”

“But what?” Derek asked.

Dave leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “What about that girl you talked with before? Why don’t we bring her in? You said you felt like she was hiding something from you. That something might be important.”

“It’s worth a try.” Aaron agreed. It was the only thing they had to do.

A quick phone call and they had things set up for Tanya to come in within the hour. It only took her forty five minutes to arrive there. The team was waiting for her, watching from the round table room as the doors to the bullpen opened and Anderson led the woman inside. They’d sent him down for her deliberately, allowing the rest of them to watch her without her knowing right away that she was being watched. They were surprised when they noticed that she’d brought someone in with her. There was no doubt the man at her side was with her; he wasn’t touching her, but he was angled protectively at her side. The man was tanned as if he spent plenty of time out in the sun. He dressed simply in combat boots, black jeans, and a black A-shirt. Short black hair was just long enough to be spiky. His head turned towards them and they saw a thin shaven goatee around a mouth that was frowning up at them. From this distance they couldn’t see his eyes, but they could all clearly see the look he wore was just as worried as her.

“Boyfriend?” JJ suggested curiously.

“Maybe.” Dave murmured. He tipped his head, studying the man’s face for a moment. “Judging by the worry, though, I’d guess he’s another friend of Reid’s.”

A low, disgusted sounding snort came from Derek. “How many secret friends does this kid have?”

That had JJ looking up at him sharply. “Spence has a right to have friends and to have his privacy too, Morgan.”

Her words didn’t seem to have any effect. Derek stared out the window for a moment longer before turning to head out of the room. Emily gave JJ a look that clearly said _‘Men are idiots’_. Then she turned and followed Derek out of the room. JJ watched and waited while the two agents went out and intercepted the woman halfway into the bullpen. A few minutes later, they were leading her off in the direction of the interview rooms, and the guy with her was being led by Anderson over to the table near the coffee pot. JJ watched how the man sat down, arms resting on his thighs and hands dangling between his knees, head slightly bowed, and she said “You know, I think I’ll go and talk to this friend of hers.”

“Good idea.” Aaron approved.

She smiled to herself as she turned and left the room, leaving Aaron and Dave alone.

The two senior profilers stayed in quiet for a bit as they watched JJ make her way down to the visitor. Aaron watched her bring coffee over to the man and he nodding approvingly as she took up a nonthreatening posture in the chair by him. She was damn good at what she did. Victims and families responded to her in ways they didn’t with others. She just had that calming effect on people.

“She’s good.” Dave said, echoing Aaron’s thoughts.

“She is.”

Dave turned away from the window and he fixed Aaron with one of those serious, probing looks that he was known for. “You all right, Aaron? You seem a little, tense.”

Surprise had Aaron’s eyebrows going up. He cast Dave an incredulous look. “One of my agents is missing. Of course I’m tense, Dave.”

“No, it’s more than that.” Turning a little more, Dave leaned against the wall and fixed his attention more fully on his friend. “We’re all tense about that. There’s something else that’s bugging you here. What is it, Aaron?”

At first it didn’t seem like Aaron was going to answer. His whole body was tense and his sharp eyes stayed staring out the window. He didn’t even turn and look at his friend. Opening up to people was not something that Aaron had ever been known for and that trait had become more pronounced as the years went by. Too many horrible things had happened to him over the years for him to find it easy to open up to others. The latest trouble with Emily and Doyle and her subsequent ‘death’ had only made it harder for the stern Unit Chief to talk to others. He’d been carrying that secret around, knowing just how upset it would make others, and he’d had only JJ to share it with. That secrecy had inadvertently bled into other areas of his life. To keep that secret, he’d shut down in other ways. Now that Emily was back among them and that secret was no longer there, he was finding it difficult to open himself back up once more. But he knew that, if he was going to, there was no one better than Dave. They’d been friends for quite a few years now, even before the team.

Some of Aaron’s tension faded as he let out a low sigh. “There’s a lot about this I don’t like. Everything clearly points to a mutant being the one to take Reid.”

“I never pictured you the type to have a prejudice, Aaron.”

“It’s not that.” Aaron defended himself instantly. He shifted his focus away from the window and finally looked at his friend. “What hope do we have at catching this Unsub if he’s a mutant? He got Reid out of an apartment building full of people who were watching intently and not a one of them saw him. Even if we do find Reid, how are we supposed to save him? Our Unsub could just vanish again and we’d never even know it.” It was a worry that had been plaguing him ever since they’d first discovered that Spencer and his attacker had apparently vanished into thin air.

“We have to try.” Dave said softly.

“I know that. I’m not suggesting we give up, Dave. I just worry. We’re not equipped to handle threats like this. It takes crime to a whole new level when you have people who can make themselves invisible, or who can vanish into thin air. How are you supposed to catch something like that?”

Dave caught the subtle twist to Aaron’s words there. Some _thing_ , not some _one_. He added that in to the other things that he’d seen or heard from Aaron since this whole thing had started and he had a startling picture. He’d been being honest before when he’d said that he’d never pictured Aaron the type to have a prejudice. Yet the way he spoke of mutants clearly said that he did. That was surprising.

“Aaron," Dave stepped forward towards his friend, rapidly going through options to address this and dismissing them one by one, finally deciding to go with blunt honesty. That had always worked best with Aaron. “What’s going on? Where’s all this coming from? You look almost disgusted just _talking_ about mutants. This isn’t like you.”

Aaron looked to his friend, assessing him, reading the look on his face, and he could see that he’d given away far more with his words than he’d intended to. Instead of alleviating Dave’s worry, he’d only made it worse. He knew the other man wouldn’t let it go. Not now that he was sure there was something wrong. That left Aaron only one choice; he gathered himself and tried to figure out how to word this, how to make the man understand. “My father,” He faltered, looking away from Dave’s compassionate gaze. He had to swallow hard before he could start again. “When I was young, he caught me playing with a friend from school. The kid was sweet, but he was shy, and he was badly bullied until I stepped in and stopped it. The only thing he was guilty of was being a mutant. With a scarf, he could pass for normal, but without it you could see what looked like old scars on either side of his neck, under his ears. Looking back, I’d guess they were gills of some sort. I don’t know.”

Pausing, he cleared his throat, the old memories washing over him, bringing back the same pain/rage mixture that they always did. He kept watching out the window, watching JJ talk with the man at the table. It was easier to focus down there instead of looking over at Dave. “My father found out and he whipped me for it that night, screaming at me about how untrustworthy mutants were. How they don’t’ care about anyone but themselves. All they want is to hurt people, normal people.” He spat the words out, just a hint of an accent showing through in his voice for the first time in years. Clenching his fists, he battled back that anger and modulated his voice until once more he was in control. “I didn’t believe him at first. But the next day, I went to go talk to Simon at lunch and he ignored me, right there in the middle of the cafeteria, and he then he walked away like I wasn’t even there. He didn’t even care what I’d gone through for him. All he’d wanted was someone to save him and once that was done, he didn’t have any more use for me.”

“Aaron…” Dave’s voice was softer, just slightly pained. “You were just kids.”

Aaron didn’t even hear him. He kept going, his eyes gone distant with the memories. “I’d put all that away, forgotten about it, until Foyet.” He said flatly. To keep from showing too much emotion, his voice turned colder, harder. “He brought it all back in bright Technicolor.”

“Foyet?”

“He was a mutant. Some kind of telepath.” Aaron spat the word out like it was something filthy. “When he was bent over me, stabbing me, he dug down into my mind and pulled up the worst nightmares from my past and subjected me to them over and over again. He forced me to live them and laughed at my pain. How do we protect ourselves from things like that, Dave? How can we have any hope in finding something that made a federal agent disappear from his apartment?"  Aaron turned back to Dave and for once his usual stoic façade had cracked slightly, showing his fear, his dread.

"Mutant or not, the Unsub is still human, still has patterns we can define and follow, habits which we can categorize.” Dave pointed out, watching Aaron carefully, wishing he knew the words to make this okay for him. Wishing he knew a way to make this right. “We’re profilers, Aaron. We do our job. Reid’s trusting us to do our job. In the end, that’s all we can do.”

Aaron sighed and looked back out to the bullpen. Inside, he prayed that it would be enough.

 

PART FOUR

Derek and Emily led Tanya down the hall and towards their interview room. They opened the door and gestured her inside, following in after her. Tanya took the chair she was directed to, briefly thanking Derek as he handed her a paper cup of water. She sat and cradled the cup between her hands and then lifted her eyes to them. “Have you guys found anything out about Spencer?” She asked without preamble.

“Nothing yet, I’m sorry.” Emily took one of the seats across from her. She folded her hands and rested them on the table. “We’re still looking, though. Don’t worry.”

“Is there something you think I can do to help? Or something you forgot to ask me earlier?” Tanya looked over to Derek, who was just taking his seat, and then back to Emily. “I’ll do anything I can to help bring him back home.”

They were going to have to go about this delicately. Emily watched the woman and she believed that Tanya truly did care for Spencer. He was something important to her. If they weren’t careful about how they asked their questions, there was a chance they could offend her and if that happened, she might very well close up on them and they would never find out what it was that she was keeping back from them. Whatever it was, it might not even be important. Something told Emily that it was, though. Why Tanya would keep it to herself, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she had to find out what it was.

It had been agreed that she would take the lead in here. Back at the school, Tanya had looked to Emily more for answers to her questions. They hoped that using Emily now would help set her at ease. Their first few questions were designed to do the same thing. If they could get her relaxed, get her to open up, she was more likely to tell them what they wanted. “We just have a few more questions we wanted to ask.” Emily reassured her. “Just some things to clear up.”

“Anything, Agent.”

“Maybe you could start out telling us how you know Reid. When did you first meet him?”

That brought a small smile to Tanya’s lips. She relaxed ever so slightly in her seat. “I met Spencer when I was seventeen years old.”

“So you’ve known him for quite a while now.” Derek said.

Tanya tipped her head towards him and arched an eyebrow, humor lighting up her eyes and warming them, giving them a glimpse of the woman she usually was. “Are you trying to imply something, Agent Morgan?”

That startled a laugh out of Emily and had Derek actually smiling a little bit. To his credit, Derek wasn’t dumb enough to answer that question. He sat back in his seat and held his hands out on either side in a definite ‘I’m not touching that one’ gesture.

A low, smoky laugh bubbled up from Tanya. Some more of her tension drained away with the teasing. It seemed to set her at ease more than anything else had. “Good choice. As for your question, the answer is yes, I’ve known him for quite a while now.”

“How did you two meet?” Emily asked.

There was no hesitation in Tanya’s answer. “He saved my life.”

That definitely hadn’t been what they’d expected to hear. Emily’s eyebrows went up and she sat back a little in her chair. “Reid saved your life?”

“I’m not being metaphorical, agent. If it wasn’t for Spencer, I would be dead, I assure you. I was in a really, really bad place in my life when I met him.” Tanya paused and took a small drink off her water to give herself a moment to gather her composure. Her look was just slightly distant for a moment as she obviously dealt with whatever memories her words brought to mind. Then her gaze cleared once more and fixed on Emily again. “Spencer pulled me out of it and gave me a safe place to be until I could get my life in order again. He helped me get on my feet and even get a job. Honestly, he’s the reason I have my Masters in clinical psychology. He helped me get my GED and he helped me get scholarships and such to help put me through college. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

“That sounds like Reid.” Derek’s voice was just slightly huskier with emotion. That definitely sounded like his friend. Spencer had a huge heart and he couldn’t resist helping people. It was just a part of who he was. It was both an asset in the field and a hindrance sometimes. Spencer wanted to help everyone; unfortunately, it got him into trouble because he tended to want to help people without caring about the risk to himself.

“He moved away eventually, coming here. I stayed behind to finish my schooling. When I graduated, I came out to visit him and to celebrate and ended up staying.” Tanya’s smile grew just a little more. “He let me crash at his place until I settled in. I got my job here just a few weeks later and my own place a week after that. I’ve lived around here ever since.”

“So Reid’s someone very important to you.” Emily said.

“Absolutely. He’s like a best friend and brother all rolled into one.”

“Then help us find him, Tanya.” Taking a chance, Emily leaned forward a little and reached out, laying her hand over one of Tanya’s. Her earnest gaze caught and held Tanya’s surprised one. “Help us, Tanya. Help us find Reid and bring him home.”

“How?”

“Yesterday, when we were talking with you, you were hiding something from us. What was it?”

Only a slight tensing of her hand gave away her surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“This is important, Tanya. Reid’s life could depend on this information. Don’t you want to do anything you can to help him? Please.” Emily let her true emotion leak into that single word. “Tell us what it is you know, or what you think you know. Please. For Spencer.”

For one long minute the two women held one another’s gazes. The air seemed almost electric around them, charged with the emotion of the moment, with things both said and unsaid. The two looked at one another and each saw someone who cared deeply for the man who was missing; a man who was like a sibling to both of them. Caught up in it, Tanya couldn’t hold on to her control. It fractured slightly and they got a glimpse of the scared woman within. “I don’t _know_ anything for sure.” She breathed out.

“Just tell us what you think you know, then.” Emily prompted gently.

“He…Spencer thought someone was following him.” She blurted the words out all at once. Now that she’d decided to open up, the words almost jumped from her like she couldn’t get them out fast enough. “He wasn’t sure, though. He thought maybe he was just a little jumpy because he hasn’t been sleeping well lately. Nightmares, you know? He says that it happens sometimes when cases get to him. He gets a little jumpy, seeing shadows all over. A side effect of the job, he says.”

The minute she started talking, Derek and Emily both went on alert. The more she said, the more alert they became. Emily’s grip tightened on Tanya’s hand and Derek had leaned in towards the table. “Did he ever say anything else about it? A specific person that he saw often, or a car, maybe?” Derek asked her.

She shook her head sadly at them. “No. Just that he had this eerie feeling that he was being followed. Watched. He brushed it off almost as soon as he told me, but I made him promise to either tell me or tell you guys if it didn’t go away.”

“When did he mention it to you?” Derek asked.

“About a week ago. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. It’s just, Spencer was so sure that he was overreacting to it, and he’s so worried about coming off as paranoid about things. That’s the last word he wants tied to him.”

“We need to get this to Hotch.” Emily said to Derek. She looked back at Tanya and gave her hand one last squeeze. “Thank you so much for telling us this. You’ve been a great help, Tanya”

Tanya let go of her hand and drew her own back in. “Just find him, please. Find him and bring him home. He’s important to a lot of people.”

“We’ll do everything we can. You’ve got my word.” Derek promised.

* * *

While Derek and Emily were back with Tanya, JJ had made her way out to the man waiting over in their break area. She went to the coffee pot first and poured a cup for herself and a cup for the man. Then she carried both over with her. Stopping by the chair, she cleared her throat, catching his attention and bringing his head up. Silver eyes locked on her and caught her full attention. For just a moment she could only stand there and look down at him. Then she gave herself a small shake, clearing her head, and she put on a smile while she held out one of the mugs. “Coffee?”

The man looked at the mug and then back up at her. His lips quirked up ever so slightly as he reached out and took the mug from her. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome.” With her now free hand, she gestured to the chair near him. “Mind if I join you?”

“Of course.”

JJ folded herself down into the chair, tucking one leg up underneath her. She sat casually, wanting to keep this as relaxed as possible. One thing she definitely knew how to do was to set someone at ease while she spoke with them. The years working as the team’s liaison had helped her with that. She was one of their best at speaking with victims and their families and doing it without unduly upsetting anyone. She put those skills to use now as she smiled at this man and tried to set him at ease. “I saw that you came in with Tanya. Are you friends with Spence, too?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m Tomas. Tomas Gann.” He cradled the cup between his hands and gave her a half smile that didn’t quite erase the worry on his face. “And you must be JJ. He talks about you and your son often. He really loves you guys, you know.”

“We love him, too. I think of him like a brother.”

“Me too.” Pausing, Tomas sighed and took a drink off his coffee. When he settled the cup back between his hands, those silver eyes once more fixed intently on JJ. There was something to them that just made a person feel almost pinned in place. “I know you’re over here to probe for information, ma’am, but I don’t have anything to tell you. I don’t know anything. If I did, believe me, I’d tell you. You guys aren’t the only ones that want Pen back home.”

The honesty with which he said that was easy for JJ to hear. Just as she could clearly see the lines of worry around his eyes and mouth. This guy was telling the truth. She switched over from probing to reassuring with ease. “We’re going to do everything we can to bring him back home, Tomas. We’re putting everything we have into finding him.”

“I believe you, ma’am. If Pen trusts you guys with his life every time you go out on a case, the least I can do is trust you with his life now.”

* * *

Everyone met back up in the conference room. JJ walked in just as Derek was finishing explaining about this ‘stalker’ that Spencer hadn’t been sure about. A stalker? The man had a stalker and he hadn’t said anything to any of them? _Dammit, Spence_ , JJ thought. _When are you going to learn to talk to us about things? When are you going to stop trying to take care of everything on your own? You have so many people around you who care about you! More than we even knew about. Yet you still seem to think you have to do everything on your own._

“The kid had a _stalker_?” Dave’s incredulous voice echoed JJ’s thoughts.

“It would look like it.” Derek said. He look just as frustrated as the rest of them.

They all shared a moment of frustration for their friend. Each one could easily see Spencer doubting himself, believing that he was wrong, that he was just imagining things. They could also easily see why he wouldn’t want to tell them. If he wasn’t sure if he really was being followed, the last thing he’d want to do is tell someone. Considering his mother’s illness and his own personal fears about that, was it any wonder he’d kept quiet about something that, to him, might’ve been nothing more than his own overactive imagination?

This gave them new information to work with, though. All of them felt a slight stirring of hope. Maybe this would be the lead that would finally get them somewhere on this.  “JJ, why don’t you and Prentiss go back to Reid’s building and see if anyone there remembers seeing a vehicle matching this description lately. Maybe we’ll get lucky and one of them has seen this ‘stalker’.” Aaron said.

* * *

That was what they turned up in all their inquiries about this ‘stalker’. A whole lot of nothing.

They talked to neighbors, checked once more through Spencer's records, trying to find a repeat caller, maybe, and they even went through his desk here at work in hopes that maybe there would be something in there. Nothing, nothing, and more nothing.

With each lead being shot down as soon as they got it, they were quickly growing frustrated. Once more the team gathered at the BAU to try and think together while they had some dinner. Chinese food had been ordered and brought up to the round table room. Even Penelope had come from her lair to set up in the conference room with them. There was nothing more important to her than finding their lost friend. She sat at the table now, to one side of Emily, praying for a miracle.

Worry, lack of sleep, and frustration were creating a dangerous mix in the group. It was making for short tempers. Derek, especially, was getting more on edge with each new bit of information they pulled out. His friends were just waiting for him to finally blow and let off some of the anger that was building. This situation would’ve been hard enough for Derek to deal with under average circumstances. Fear for his best friend was to be expected. But with each strange thing they uncovered, each new friend that none of them had ever even heard of, Derek’s worry seemed to transform into anger. Some of that anger finally came to a head as they were going over everything they had while they ate dinner.

They were discussing JJ’s conversation with Tomas when Derek gave a disgusted snort and dropped his chopsticks down into the box in front of him. “None of this makes a damn bit of sense.” He growled out. “I’ve known the kid for almost nine years now. How the hell does he have all this stuff that I’ve never known about? It’s like he’s got this whole second life that he’s kept secret from us!”

“We’re all entitled to lives outside of work.” Dave pointed out.

“I’m not begrudging him that.” Derek argued. “But why hide it? He’s told them about us. Why wouldn’t he tell us about them?”

Though she wondered the same thing, JJ couldn’t help leaping to her friend’s defense. “Reid’s not exactly known for talking about himself, Morgan. He’s the most private person I know.”

“We basically live in each other’s pockets in this job.” Penelope added in. She set her chopsticks down as well, her appetite just not there. How could she eat when she was worrying about where Spencer was right now and if he had dinner? Pushing back those fears, she turned to Derek and gave him a small glare. “Can you blame him for wanting to keep _something_ private? This job hasn’t made it easy for any of us to have any kind of privacy at all.”

“Privacy is one thing. But this? He’s _hiding_ it…” The sound of his cell phone ringing cut off Derek’s words. He pulled his phone out and flipped it open without even bothering to look at the screen. “Agent Morgan.”

There was a brief pause before a very familiar, very exhausted sounding voice came over the line. “ _Hey Morgan._ ”

Derek froze, eyes going wide. Everyone in the room was staring at him as he said “Reid?”


	2. Chapter 2

PART ONE

Pain was the first thing that Spencer was aware of. It had been his companion the past few times that he’d woken so it wasn’t a surprise that it was there. What shocked him enough to actually start to jolt him out of sleep was the intensity of it. Sharp and hot, it burned a line across his thigh, yanking him away from the comforting darkness of unconsciousness and back into a world that was harsh and bright. There was no stopping the pained cry that tore its way past his lips. His whole body jerked in an instinctive effort to move away from that which was hurting him even though his brain knew that there was no getting free. There had been no getting free ever since he first woke up chained up in this place. So sure of that was he that it shocked him when he found his limbs actually free.

A triumphant cry built in his throat. He didn’t stop to think, didn’t let himself or his captor have any chance to think about this. He was still in cat form and gathered what strength there was in his aching body and he prepared to fling himself up and away from here. Before he could let loose, there were hands on him, moving him, and someone’s voice was crying out “Hold him!”

Something solid and cool wrapped around his wrists and ankles and pinned them down. At the same time, something heavy stretched over his torso. A furious snarl rumbled through Spencer and he doubled his efforts to break free. No! He would not be restrained again. _No_! His eyes shot opened and stared, bright and unseeing, at the scene around him. What he saw was something entirely different than what was there. Caught in the pain, trapped in his fear, he didn’t see the people around him or the bedroom they were in. All he saw was that damp, dark warehouse and the bastard that had held him, kept him, _tortured_ him. The fear grew higher and higher, and with it, his anger. He was not going to give in to this! He would _not_! Through his own furious sounds, he heard voices in the background. Voices that a part of his brain told him he should know. The fear and pain weren’t letting him think clearly, though. All he could think of was getting free.

“Get right down there by his face.” Someone called out.

“What?”  Another voice said.

The second voice was closer, right in front of him, and he growled at it. So the bastard brought someone with him, did he? _Yes, get close_ he thought furiously. _Come on, closer. Closer!_

That other voice came again. “Let him scent you!”

The weight over Spencer shifted and all of a sudden there was something solid shoving under his chin, across his neck. It jammed upwards, forcing his snapping jaws closed before he could even try to bite, and then there were jet black eyes right in front of his, dark blue eyes set in a black skinned face that was decorated with dark blue tribal tattoos. “Spencer! Spencer, it’s me. It’s Liam.” The face said to him. Spencer caught a flash of sharp teeth and the cat in him snarled at the threat. The face just got closer until their noses were almost touching. Deep, dark blue hair, so dark it was almost black, fell around them like a curtain, blocking out the rest of the world. “Come on, Spencer. Look at me. Draw in a breath and scent me. It is Liam. You know me, my friend. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help you.”

The man’s warm breath washed over Spencer's face, a soft puff of air that filled his nose. It worked like nothing else had so far. Spencer's whole body froze. He knew that scent. The fear slowly loosened its grip on his mind and rationality started to sink in. Deliberately this time, Spencer breathed in deep, scenting the air around him. That scent washed through him again and a part of his mind registered all the different layers of it and a name floated up to the surface. _Liam_.

Liam watched and could see as Spencer blinked his eyes a few times and clarity slowly returned. He loosened the arm that was under Spencer's chin and relaxed ever so slightly when those amber orbs finally looked at him with a spark of recognition. “Liam.” Spencer croaked out.

Relief spread through Liam’s body. “Yes. It is me, my friend. You are safe now.”

Those words loosened something that had been tightly coiled inside of Spencer. This was someone that he knew and trusted. If Liam said he was safe, than he was safe. His body slumped down into the soft surface underneath it. For the first time, he realized that he was lying on a bed. That should’ve been a good first clue. He was on a bed, no longer hanging from his wrists in that damn cold place. But when he’d passed out the last time, he’d been overwhelmed by pain and he’d fully expect even more when he woke up. That had been the pattern the last few times he’d woken up.

Liam pulled back and carefully climbed off of Spencer so that he was no longer pinning him to the bed. He moved with a natural grace that often startled people to see. Liam already startled people enough as it was; with black skin that was covered in those dark blue lines that twisted and swirled in patterns much like tribal tattoos, even up on his face and around his eyes, and with that darker blue, shoulder length hair, he put people in mind of some kind of demon. They saw him and they were terrified. Add in his height and the body of someone well-disciplined in martial arts and he cut an even more imposing figure. Yet there was no one Spencer had met who was kinder or more intelligent. When Spencer had first met him, Liam had been chained up and held in a cage as a part of an underground mutant ‘circus’ where people could come in and see captured and trained mutants ‘perform’ for the audience. He had willingly left with Spencer that night and had pledged himself in Spencer's debt from that day forward. It didn’t matter that Spencer insisted that Liam owed him nothing. But over the years, friendship had grown in the place of the perceived ‘obligation’. Now Liam stayed because he wanted to, not because he felt like he had to.

Despite Liam’s best efforts to be gentle when he rose, Spencer still hissed sharply and jerked a little. Moving reminded him that his ankles and wrists were still being held down. He tipped his head up a little, ignoring the pounding there, and looked up towards his wrists. Something black and solid was wrapped around them and was holding them to the bed. Before he looked down he knew who else he would find in the room. Sure enough, Lilo stood nearby. Blue green eyes smiled at him with a warmth and kindness that not many saw there. Holding his hands out, Lilo called the ink that he’d banded around Spencer's wrists and ankles and drew it back to him, bringing it to himself and laying it over his skin in the usual patterns. Seconds later, they were simply tattoos once more, or, what Lilo referred to as his ‘built in weapons’. The tattoo ‘sleeves’ that he had were perfect for someone whose mutation allowed them to manipulate and control ink. “Welcome back, Pen.” He said with a smile.

Lilo had become a good friend over the years. The man came off as tough and hard at first look but Spencer knew that looks were deceiving. Generally Lilo dressed in jeans and t-shirts, occasionally with a jean vest over it all, and his friends often teased him that he looked like some sort of little punk. His jet black hair was shaved on the sides and he sported only one long strip over the top of his head that he kept in a ponytail that dangled to his neck. Blue-green eyes could go hard enough sometimes to give people pause, but Spencer had seen the kindness in them. He’d also been one who had seen the fear that had once been in them. He’d seen the scared young man he’d once been, back when Spencer had first found him, and he’d had the pleasure of watching Lilo heal and grow into the confident man he was now.

Now that he was free, Spencer drew his arms down to his sides, wincing yet again. The muscles in his shoulders screamed out their protest at him and drew a ragged groan from him. That sound brought the other occupant of the room over to him. Lillian Nettler, a petit woman with dark brown hair and bright green eyes, pushed past the two larger men who both towered over her and she dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. Lillian was a mutant as well, with the ability to enter the ‘dream world’ and manipulate others dreams. But she was also, more importantly at the moment, a doctor. She was also Spencer's personal doctor. She knew his entire medical history and she had never shied away from treating him while he was in either form. She didn’t even flinch back from his claws now as she reached out and caught his forearms, carefully helping him lower his arms down to his chest. “Careful now, Spencer. You were hanging there for who knows how long; your shoulder muscles are going to be really sore.”

That was an understatement. The muscles were burning and aching. He clenched his eyes shut and locked his jaw against the painful sounds that built in his throat. When small hands started massaging at the muscles, his first reaction was to jerk back from that painful touch. His second reaction was to sigh in relief. Underneath her careful massage the muscles were slowing their cramping. By the time she let go, he was still achy but it was manageable. He opened his eyes once again and gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She smiled at him and reached up to stroke some of his hair back from his face. Gentle fingers traced over the fur of his face, ghosting across his left eye where he knew there was one hell of a bruise at. Her expression turned apologetic. “I’m sorry I startled you. I should’ve waited until you were awake before starting treatment. I know better than that. I know how disorientating it can be for patients to wake up somewhere strange and be hurting.”

He uncurled one hand and patted her leg. “It’s okay, Lillian. I’m just glad I didn’t hurt any of you.” More of his head was clearing and certain things were starting to finally sink in for him. His eyes drifted past Lillian to once more settle on Lilo and Liam. The two men were standing at the bedroom door in almost identical poses; feet spread slightly, arms crossed over their chests. They were standing as if they were guarding the room. Spencer realized that that’s most likely what they were doing.

It was to them he directed his next question. “How did you guys find me?”

“We asked around with some people here and there on the streets.” Lilo answered. “We know enough people around these parts that it didn’t take long for word to get back about a mutant that was hired to capture and transport someone. After that, we just had to get the guy and convince him to tell us where he took you. Once we had that we went right away to go and get you.”

“There was no one there with you when we arrived.” Liam took over the tale, his low voice showing just a hint of strain to it, the only sign of his anger. “You were injured, so we did not waste time trying to hunt him. We gathered you up and brought you straight here to Lillian.”

Memories washed over Spencer. He closed his eyes for a moment as they played out in his mind. Lying on the couch and waking up to some strange noise. Trying to get to his gun and not making it even to the hall. The fight in his apartment. Being pinned down to the ground and staring up into those horrifyingly cold eyes. The realization that this man was there for Stalker, that he knew his secret. Switching to his cat form and fighting for his life and knowing that he was losing. Then, the blow to the head that brought unconsciousness. The next time his eyes opened, he’d been in that warehouse, his wrists held by his own handcuffs and a chain that was hoisted up over his head. Another chain had wrapped around his ankles and secured them to the beam that was pressed up against his back while another had wrapped across his chest and pinned both it and his tail down. The whole thing had been set up perfectly. Jeffrey had taken no chances on Spencer getting free.

Lillian’s soft touch drew Spencer back from those thoughts. He opened his eyes and found her looking worriedly down at him. “This can wait, Spencer. We need to get you cleaned up first.”

Though it hurt, he shook his head. “No. There’s no telling how he’s going to react when he finds me gone. He could come after someone else.” He shifted his weight on the bed and hissed a little with the pain.

One of Lillian’s hands firmly pressed down on his chest. “Don’t move.” She glared down at him. “If you insist on talking, you can do it here, lying down, while I treat you. But you’re not getting up from that bed until I get the chance to look you over. They can hear you just as easy with you on your back as on your feet.”

Small though she may be, Spencer, just as everyone else did, found himself following her orders. No one argued with Lillian when it came to her and her patients. She watched him for a moment to make sure he was going to stay and then she gave a firm nod. Content that he was staying in place, she moved enough to grab her medical bag from where she’d left it on the floor. Spencer shook his head. Then he turned his attention back to the men by the door, both of whom were trying to smother their smiles. He chose to ignore that for now. There were more important things to be taken care of. “The guy who had me taken is Jeffrey, the guy we took Mickey from. He’s pissed and he wants him back, desperately.” He said. That was enough to wipe their humor away. All of them remember Mickey.

Six months ago, Spencer and his friends had found out about a mutant who had been bought by some big business executive over in Philadelphia. The mutant was rumored to have the power to change his own age. It was said that he could change his body to any age that he wanted. The man that bought him, they discovered, had bought him specifically because of that. He had wanted someone that he could make shrink down to the young age that he so preferred, and who could be an adult during the day so no one would ever know the truth. Spencer and his friends had built a plan and then they’d gone and rescued the boy. What they found had broken all their hearts. The ‘training’ that the boy, Mickey, had gone through, the things that had been done to him, were horrifying. When they got him out of there, he was a broken and terrified boy with little left to him that could be labeled sane. Through the shelter network that Spencer knew and had frequently worked with, they’d gotten Mickey to a safe place far from here where he was with people who would be able to help him start to try and heal from what had been done to him.

“Shit.” Lilo swore lowly. His eyes flashed with his fury and his hands briefly clenched into fists.

It was Liam who latched onto the practical side of things. “If he has hunted and found you, there is a chance he could come for any of us that were on that mission. We need to get everyone together and safe. No one should be going out alone right now.”

Spencer nodded his agreement. He drew in a breath and tried to ignore the pain as Lillian went back to where she’d originally started all this, cleaning a wound on his leg. “Have Tanya gather everyone together, but discreetly. We don’t know what he knows and we don’t want to make this easy for him.”

“It might not be a good idea for Tanya to gather everyone.” Lillian interjected. She glanced up briefly from what she was doing to meet Spencer's eyes. “Your team has been investigating your disappearance. They spoke to her at work and they called her down to the station to speak with her as well.”

Shock had Spencer's eyes going wide. “They suspect _her_?”

She hurried to reassure him. “No, no. But they are convinced she knows something. I don’t know if they’ve put a watch on her or anything, but just in case she should probably be a little discreet. At least until you figure out what you’re going to tell your team.”

That reminded was enough to have Spencer grimacing. He lay back on the bed and his eyes drifted up to the ceiling. Countless different thoughts drifted through that quick mind and only one thing made any sort of sense. It was terrifying, and the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t have a choice. “I’m going to tell them the truth. Or, most of it. I won’t tell them that you guys saved me.”

“What?” Lillian’s shocked gasp echoed around them. It was seconded by Lilo’s sharp “Are you kidding me?” and Liam’s “Spencer…are you sure?”

“I don’t have a choice.” He told them. “Jeffrey knows my secret. The guy who took me told him who I was. With me gone like this, he won’t just let it go. He wants to punish me for taking Mickey away from him. What better way to do that than expose me to the world? I have to tell my team. They deserve to hear it from me, not someone else. Not on the evening news.”

No one said anything to that. There was nothing really that they could say. Spencer closed his eyes and lay there as the injuries on his body were tended and he thought to himself that this pain was nothing compared to what was coming. He was going to have to tell his team, his _family_ , that he’d been lying to them for almost ten years now. He was going to have to tell them that he was a mutant. Would they stand by him when all was said and done? Or was he about to lose some of the people that mattered most to him?

 

PART TWO

There wasn’t really time to waste. As sooner Lillian finished cleaning him up as best as she could here, Spencer had made his phone call to the team. It was no surprise when he was ordered to stay where he was while they hurried over to him. Spencer hung up the phone and spent the next fifteen minutes trying to prepare himself for what was to come. First and foremost, he reached down inside and flipped that switch, changing his body back to human form. Then, with the help of Liam and Lilo, Spencer got himself changed into clean clothes. The clothes were donated by Lillian’s husband, Clive. He was down working at the clinic right now—he was a doctor too—but Lillian assured Spencer that he wouldn’t mind. The two were close in height but Spencer was definitely more slender. The clothes hung on him and gave him an even more pitiful look.

He’d taken a moment to look at himself in the mirror when he was in the bathroom. One look at his face had shocked him. Feeling the pain as it had been inflicted was one thing; seeing the damage afterwards was something else entirely. His left eye was badly swollen and bruised, the skin beside it split open. Lillian had put butterfly tape there for now. His right jawline showed a large bruise that matched where his abductor had punched him to knock him out. Other injuries were visible, even with his body covered in clothes. There were dark bruises around his wrists and some slight abrasions there from where he’d thrashed around. Mostly, though, his injuries were hidden underneath his clothes. The cut up his leg. Deep bruises on his thighs, stomach, and chest from the countless punches he’d taken. Lillian was positive no ribs were broken, though she did declare them badly bruised. On his right him there was a deep ache from where he’d landed on his coffee table in that initial struggle.

All in all, even with most his marks hidden, Spencer knew he looked a mess. His friends were going to take one look at him and their worry was going to skyrocket. He brushed his bangs back from his face and tried not to sigh. He was so not ready for this.

The people in the house had changed while he was in the bathroom. Liam had left, naturally. There was no way he was going to stick around while the house filled up with federal agents. He couldn’t hide his mutation from them. The ones that had stayed behind were all mutants who could hide their powers. Lillian stayed, of course, seeing as it was her house and she was sticking close to Spencer to monitor him. She had tried to convince him to go to the clinic with her and call the team from there but he’d been insistent on calling now.

Lilo was still here, still acting as bodyguard. He’d stationed himself by the kitchen door that led to the mudroom and to the backyard. But Zac and Darcy had showed up while he was gone. Darcy, most likely because she couldn’t stay away. But Zac had probably come to replace Liam as ‘bodyguard’. That thought made Spencer roll his eyes a little. _I seem to attract only overprotective friends. Either that or I just bring it out in them._

As far as bodyguards went, Zac was a pretty good choice, even if not everyone would think so by looking at him. Zac often described his power as being like telekinesis, only you could see the energy he used. It was a forest green color that matched his eyes perfectly. He had no outward signs of his mutation. Spencer had met him a few years back at the local mutant shelter. Zac volunteered down there and often acted as a driver to transport mutants from here to another location. Over the years, he’d become a good friend. He’d been a driver for them, too, when the group went out to take care of business that was close by, or if they needed a pickup. He was a fun, energetic man with a zest for life and an optimistic personality that made him a great asset to the shelter. His looks drew a few eyes here and there. Zac was into the punk style and he often dressed sort of uniquely. Today he was in plaid pants, a black shirt, a black sweater, with his black hair spiked into a short little faux-hawk, the tips of which were died blue, and he had his chains in that went from the piercings in either side of his nose and hung across his cheeks to attack to the earrings in his ears.

Darcy was another one that had been a part of this little group for quite a few years. Spencer had found her when he was twenty two years old. She was actually one that he’d met while on a case with the BAU. The team had been working a case that had ended up being connected to a human trafficking ring. The ring had carried ‘specialized merchandise’ as well as ‘normal’. Darcy was one of the special ones. She’d been held in a separate room and they’d had specific shackles to cover her hands and feet. Spine, they’d called her. An unoriginal name that did suit her powers. Darcy had the ability to push spikes, or spines as the others called them, out of the palms of her hands, her elbows, and her knees. On these spikes was a venom that, in small doses, acted as a paralytic. In large doses, it killed.

When the FBI and SWAT teams had raided the warehouse, no one had wanted to go near her. She’d been the only mutant held at the time. Spencer had been the only one brave enough to dare to go to her. He’d gone into the tiny little cell and his heart had broken at the sight of the young girl curled up there. She’d been only nineteen at the time, though she’d looked even younger. She’d looked like she had been through hell. Bruises mottled her skin and her blue eyes had looked up at him with so much in them, it had haunted his dreams for weeks. Her brown hair had hung loose and lank around a face that was far too thin. Spencer had looked at her and felt a part of his heart break a little. A part of him always throbbed when he came across someone in that kind of situation.

It had taken almost an hour of talking to her to convince her that he was there to help. He’d gotten her out of there and tried to get her to a hospital for help. Then he’d placed a call to Tanya and he’d stayed at the hospital with Darcy until Tanya had arrived. While Spencer went back to work, Tanya had taken Darcy home with her. She hadn’t left since then. Early on, her emotions had made it hard for her to control the spikes in her hands and they’d come out often in reaction to her pain or anger or distress. She’d been terrified to touch people for fear of hurting or killing them. Though she’d learned control over the years and she no longer had those accidents, she still had some issues with touch. Lilo had helped her come a long way from there when he’d started to court her. Now she touched easier than before. She’d come a long way since the girl she’d been then.

She touched now, coming over to him the minute she caught sight of him and helping him to sit down carefully in one of the chairs at the table. “Oh man, Spencer. That bastard got you good.”

While Darcy helped him to sit, Zac hurried into the kitchen. He came back a moment later with a glass of water that he set down right by Spencer. “Here, man, drink up. I doubt you’ve had much lately.”

“Thanks.” Spencer winced at the raspy sound of his own voice. Yeah. Water was definitely a good idea. He picked the cup up as soon as he was settled in his seat and took a few small drinks. That took the burn in his throat and tapered it down to a manageable level. He set the cup back down with a sigh. “Better. Much better. How long was I gone for?”

“A little over a day and a half, Boss.” Darcy answered. Temper flashed over her face.

“Don’t call me that.” Spencer said automatically.

“Sure thing, Boss.”

He shook his head but didn’t bother correcting her a second time. It did him no good. It didn’t do him any good with any of them. No matter how many times he said it, they would just smile at him and nod and act all agreeable and then turn right around and say it again. There were only a few in their little group that didn’t say it and he blessed them for that fact. Spencer didn’t consider himself anyone’s ‘Boss’. He didn’t consider himself any more important than anyone else. All of these people, they were his friends. They were a part of his life; a life that the BAU team doesn’t know about. A life he was going to be forced to reveal to them. Would they understand? Would they accept him? Would they accept the things he’d done in his life?

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway broke through the quiet of the house. Spencer's whole body instantly tensed. He had to forcibly make himself relax once more. “They’re here.”

“Are you sure you wanna do this, Pen?” Lilo asked him lowly.

Spencer swallowed down the lump in his throat. “There’s no other choice. I have to. He’s knows my secret, Lilo, and he won’t keep quiet about it. I owe them the respect of letting them hear it from me, at least.”

Then there was no more time. No more stalling. Someone was knocking on the front door and Lillian was heading off to answer it. As if by some unspoken agreement, Zac ducked down the hall, Darcy with him, leaving only Lilo still standing over by the kitchen door. They were giving him as much privacy for this moment as possible. He heard Lillian open the door and then there was the soft sound of her voice. It got closer, followed by the sound of quite a few different sets of feet, and when she got closer he was able to understand what it was she was saying. “…well enough to talk and answer a few questions, but be gentle, please. I don’t know how much longer adrenaline or willpower or whatever it is will hold him up before he crashes. He’s a stubborn little shit and he should really be down at my clinic right now so I can better treat him. He’s been through a very traumatic experience.”

The next moment, the team stepped into the dining room and Spencer found himself face to face with his friends. The sight of them struck him in a way he hadn’t thought it would and to his horror he found his eyes filling with tears.

JJ was the one to break first from the shock that had gripped them all at the sight of him. “God, Spence.” She hurried forward and dropped down into a squat beside his chair. One hand came up to carefully cup his cheek. “Look at you. You should be at a hospital.”

“I’m okay.” The sound of his voice made them all wince.

Carefully, JJ moved up and wrapped him in a hug, cradling him close to her. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Spence. I was so worried about you.”

No sooner had she pulled away than Emily was stepping up to him for a hug of her own. Surprisingly, Dave was next. Then he moved and Derek was there. This was a hug Spencer had expected and one he was familiar with. Derek pulled him in close and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Don’t you scare me like that, kid. You’re gonna make me an old man before my time.”

“Sorry.” Spencer apologized. He smiled up at him as Derek pulled back. “I don’t exactly plan it, you know.”

“You don’t have to. It just seems to happen.” Aaron said. He didn’t hug Spencer like the others did. But he briefly put a hand on his shoulder and the look on his face told Spencer as clear as words just how happy his boss was to see him.

At a gesture from Spencer, everyone settled down around the table. He saw Lillian melt away to go and stand with Lilo. She was giving him space as well while still staying close enough to monitor him. One sign of trouble and he knew she’d be hauling him down to the clinic whether he was ready or not. The way he felt right then, it probably wasn’t a bad idea. He was tired and in pain and what he really, really wanted at that moment was a bed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so tired. There were important things to do first, though. It was time to get this started.

There was no easy way to say everything that needed to be said. Spencer drew in a breath and just leapt right in. “I imagine that my neighbors called in a disturbance at my apartment. That’s how you guys got involved, right?”

“Most of the building called it in.” Aaron said.

“You’re pretty popular there, kid. Everyone had nice things to say about that ‘sweet doctor’.” Derek teased.

A blush heated Spencer's cheeks. Only one person in the building called him that. To avoid teasing, he tried to gloss right past that and get them back on topic. “I don’t have a lot to tell you about what happened there. It all happened so fast. One moment I was sleeping on the couch and the next I could hear something at my door. I tried to go and get my gun, but the attacker was fast. He got the door open and he tackled me pretty quickly. We wrestled around for a while and I tried to get free.” That was definitely a dumbed down version of things. But Spencer couldn’t bring himself to tell it all. Not yet, at least. They didn’t know yet that he was a mutant. There was no way he could tell them about how the attacker had pinned him down and then _sniffed_ at him. How he’d called him ‘Stalker’ and had said he was taking him in. And he definitely couldn’t tell them how he’d known his cover was blown, so he’d given in and switched forms, fighting with everything he had. “He got the upper hand and he knocked me out.” Spencer lifted one hand and tapped the bruise on his jaw. “I woke up inside some warehouse.”

He had to pause to take a drink of his water. When he lifted the glass, he saw everyone’s eyes focus on the bruises on his wrist. JJ’s expression turned pained and the others grew blank, a surefire sign in a profiler that they were covering up emotion. JJ hadn’t quite perfected that look yet; at least, not where it concerned those important to her.

Spencer carefully set his glass back down when he was done. His hands dropped down to his lap to remove them from sight. IT worked to break the stares that were fixed on them. Eyes lifted once more to his face. Sure that he had their attention again, he picked his story back up. Now was going to come the first difficult part. “The man who kidnapped me from my apartment was just a hired thug. He was paid to take me and deliver me to the warehouse. The man who ordered it is named Jeffrey Arlington.”

“You knew him?” Dave asked sharply.

“Yes.” He hesitated for just a second and then, with a deep breath, he made himself keep going. “I met Jeffrey six months ago, so to speak. I helped someone get away from him.”

Emily already had her phone out and was quietly calling in the name to Penelope to have her run it through the system for them. Aaron leaned forward at the last part of Spencer's words and his sharp gaze pinned Spencer in place. “What do you mean, get away from him?”

“Jeffrey had someone living with him that he’d been abusing for quite a while. Someone that couldn’t seem to get away. So, I helped him get out of there.” Even now Spencer still felt that spark of anger as he thought of what Mickey had been like when they’d pulled him out of there. “It was bad, Hotch. He was a mess when I got him out of there. It’s been six months and he’s _still_ recovering from it. He doesn’t handle being touched well, he jumps at the slightest things, and he very rarely talks. Physically, his injures are fading, but mentally, the doctors say it’s going to take a long, long time for him to heal, and even then they don’t ever expect him to fully recover.”

“Why isn’t this guy in jail?” JJ demanded. She looked at the others and then back to Spencer. “If he’s that bad off, why didn’t you report it, Spence?”

This part of things made Spencer grimace. He curled his hands into fists in his lap and fought down the urge to give a low growl. “The local cops wouldn’t help because Mickey’s a mutant.” He said bluntly, the hardness in his voice stunning his friends. “He’s a mutant with the ability to change his own age. From what I found out, Jeffrey bought Mickey from a mutant trafficking ring. Apparently Mickey escaped early on and tried to get help from the police but he got scared and he changed in front of them and after that, all they saw was some mutant kid and they dismissed him. Jeffrey picked him back up and no one pursued it. By the time I helped get Mickey out of there, he was too broken to give any kind of testimony to what was done to him.”

The table went quiet as they all digested his words. Spencer took advantage of the time to take another drink. His throat was sore and dry and the aches in his body were starting to truly catch up with him. Much as he hated to admit it, he doubted he was going to make it much longer. He needed to finish this, soon, before he ended up collapsing. Willpower alone wouldn’t keep him going. The body had limits and his was fast approaching that point.

“So, how did he find you?” Dave finally asked.

“I don’t know. I was very careful about my help.” Spencer said discreetly. They had no idea just how careful he’d been about his help. “I have no idea how Jeffrey figured out who I am, but he did and he followed me here. He’s apparently been stalking me lately, hoping I’ll lead him to his boy. When that proved futile, he took me and brought me to that warehouse to try and coerce me into revealing where he’s hidden.” They all knew what he meant by ‘coerce’. All they had to do was look at his body to see exactly what he meant.

Derek asked the question they were all thinking. “Do you know where this kid is?”

“I do.” For this, Spencer lifted his chin and squared his shoulders, knowing they weren’t going to like what he said next. He didn’t care. On this, he would stay firm. “And before you ask, the answer is no. I won’t tell you where he is.”

“Reid…” Aaron started.

Spencer shook his head, cutting him off. “I’m sorry, but no. Mickey’s condition is still considered very delicate. I won’t risk his health by dragging him back into this nightmare, especially when it would serve no purpose. He’s safe where he’s at, I assure you. The only person who knows his exact location, aside from those with him, is me, and I won’t give that away. He’s been through enough here, Hotch, and you know the treatment he’d receive wouldn’t be good. No one would believe a mutant over a respected businessman, anyways.” Exhaustion had Spencer's shoulders slumping just slightly.

They must’ve seen how much he was lagging because they started to hurry through the last of their questions. “How did you get free, Reid?” Aaron asked him.

This was the one part of things where Spencer was going to blatantly lie his ass off. There was no way that he could tell the team that his friends had found and saved him. Even once he told them the truth about himself, he wouldn’t dare tell them about his friends. Absolutely not. To cover them all, he’d had Liam tell him where the warehouse was that he’d been held and then he’d built a simple cover story for himself. It wasn’t that difficult to do. “When I woke up the last time, he’d unhooked my hands and I was slumped down on the floor. The chain around my ankle was loose enough that I managed to shimmy my foot free. I didn’t wait around to see if he was going to come back or to try and find any help there. I just got up and I, I ran. I didn’t really think about it. I just started running. The warehouse, it’s not far from here, and when I realized where I was, I guess I just sort of went on autopilot…”

Dizziness hit and Spencer started to sway a little in his seat. He had to close his eyes to stop the room from spinning around him. Almost immediately he heard footsteps and then Lillian’s voice around them. “This is enough.” She hurried up to him and caught him just as he started to slump a little. He recognized the feel of her hands. She held him against her so that his head rested against her chest and she was supporting his weight. “I need to get him down to my clinic. Any further questions are going to have to wait. Lilo, I need your hands. We need to get him to my car. Darcy! Zac!” She paused for a moment and then, “Zac, get the car started. Darcy, call down to the clinic and tell Wes that I’m bringing Spencer down and to prep the back room for me. I’ve already told him what’s going on so he should know what to prep for. Tell him we’ll be there in no more than fifteen minutes.”

The hands on Spencer shifted and he tensed for a moment before he placed the new pair. Lilo’s. Another pair joined them and these ones Spencer recognized from countless other times he’d been hurt. Derek was on his other side, helping to support him. Lillian let go and stepped back from them. “Careful getting him up. He was suspended by his arms for a while and his shoulder muscles were overexerted. He won’t be able to put weight on them. Try to get him to bear as much of his own weight as he can handle.”

“JJ, you go with Morgan and keep an eye on Reid. Any information you get, funnel back to us, and we’ll let you know the minute we know anything. I’ll send other agents to relieve you as soon as we get back to the Bureau. Under no circumstances is Reid to be left unguarded” Aaron was saying in the background.

That was all Spencer had the focus for. After that he could only focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Derek was on one side of him and Lilo was on the other. Together, the two helped him out to the car, both of them giving him encouragement to take each new step. Then their hold shifted and Lilo was telling him “Okay, Pen, lean into me. That’s it. Just lean in against me and we’ll just draw you into the car, okay? Trust your weight to me. I won’t let you fall.”

He did as he was told and Lilo carefully drew his upper half into the car while Derek bent and lifted his legs up, helping to slide them in. Spencer knew he should probably speak up, say or do something to reassure the people around him. He was probably scaring them to death. But the adrenaline from everything was finally starting to fade away and his body was crashing. All he could do was lie back against Lilo while the car door was shut.

He may have been free from one bad place, but Spencer knew he wasn’t in the clear yet. The bad was just getting started.

 

PART THREE

In just a short time Spencer found himself down at Lillian’s clinic, lying on a bed after yet another test, with Lillian at his side hooking up his IV. His injuries had been reexamined, x-rays had been taken, and his wounds cleaned once more. Now she was having him lie down so that she could set him up with an IV to help replace fluids and control pain. Mostly, she wanted him to rest. Those were her orders. “You need the rest. There’s no better healer for you right now.” She told him.

Who was he to argue? His body was so damn tired; he didn’t really _want_ to argue anyways.

Lillian cast him a sideways glance while she hung the IV bag up on its hook. He saw her look and battled back a sigh. Being the center of attention was not something that Spencer enjoyed. He hated being watched so closely and he was uncomfortable being coddled. But it was something he was going to have to get used to for the next little while. After being kidnapped and then coming back to them injured like this, their worry was understandable, really. He’d deal with it. That didn’t mean he’d be comfortable with it, though. He looked up and found Lillian looking at him again and he squirmed slightly underneath her gaze. “I’m fine.” He blurted out. “Really, Lillian, I’ll be fine.”

“Mm hm.” Her tone was heavy with skepticism. Still, she didn’t press it for once, just letting his lie stand. Instead, she gathered up her things and gave him one last, quick look over. Then she smiled and said “I’ll go let the agents know we’re done with you and that you’re up for guests.”

Oh, goody. Just what he wanted. Spencer's nerves tripled before she was even out the door. He wasn’t ready for this. Not at all. He’d managed to avoid having to come out with the truth to the whole team back at Lillian’s house but he couldn’t put it off any more. Now that they knew who they were hunting for, it wouldn’t take the team long to find Jeffrey. Of that, Spencer was certain. They were good at what they did and they would find him. The last thing he wanted was for them to find Jeffrey and for the man to blurt out the truth before Spencer got a chance to say it. He was going to have to say it here, now, before it became too late. The thought made his stomach churn.

A low knock on his door warned him of his friends’ arrival. When the door opened, JJ stepped in, with Derek right behind her. The two came straight to his bed. JJ, of course, went right up to the side of it and her hands started to immediately fiddle with the blanket, adjusting it over him much like a mother would. “How’re you doing, Spence? You really worried us back there.”

“I’m sorry.” Spencer apologized. He looked from her down to where Derek was standing at the foot of the bed. “I didn’t mean to worry you more. I think the adrenaline just finally gave out on me. But I’m doing better now. Lillian’s done all her tests and she’s got me on some things that should help me even back out. That and a good night’s sleep and I’ll be back on my feet.”

“We need to ask you a few more questions, Spence.” JJ said gently. “Are you up for it?”

“I’ll answer whatever I can. There are parts that aren’t really that clear, still, but I’ll do my best.”

He saw his two friends exchange a look and a little kernel of worry sprang to life inside of him. That looked had said quite a lot without a single word being exchanged. Whatever they had to ask him, they weren’t happy about it. What was going on? Spencer pushed himself up just a little better and made himself focus fully on them. He had a feeling he was going to need to give them his full attention for whatever this was. “What is it, guys?”

“We found some things when we were in your apartment.” JJ began slowly. She looked both uncomfortable and apologetic. “We weren’t searching the place or anything. We were just looking around for any sort of clue.”

“You were doing your job, JJ. It’s fine.”

His reassurance relaxed her. She gave him a small smile and she was much more controlled when she continued. The worry didn’t fade from her eyes, though. He quickly found out why. “When Rossi and I were there, we found some things. A prepaid cell phone and…and coded ledgers.”

 _Oh, shit_ , was Spencer's only coherent thought for a moment. This wasn’t good. This was not good at all. Knowing that he had to tell his friends the truth about himself was one thing; exposing everything about that other side of his life, that was something else entirely. He had no idea how they were going to take the news that he was a mutant. If he told them what was in those ledgers, if he let them know what he and his friends did in his free time, there was no telling how they might react. That secret wasn’t just his to tell, either. That involved more people than just him. Telling that secret could put people that he cared about in danger. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t risk them. Even knowing that this could get him in trouble, Spencer lifted his chin and gathered up what calm he could as he told them “Those hold nothing pertinent to this case.”

A snort from the end of the bed brought his attention down to his best friend. He went utterly still at what he saw. There was temper bright on Derek’s face. “Another secret?” His tone was scathing, making Spencer flinch.

JJ shot Derek a dark look. “Morgan!”

Shaking his head, Spencer reached over and patted JJ’s hand, letting her know it was okay. He was fine. His eyes stayed on Derek, though. “You’re angry with me.”

The simple words worked to break down the dam that had been holding back Derek’s temper. It flooded into the man and lit his eyes at the same time that it hardened his face. “You’re damn right I am, Reid. I thought we were best friends and now it’s like I barely know you. You’ve got all these friends you never told us about, even though they know who we are. You’ve got these secret coded ledgers and a burner phone and now you won’t even tell us why. What the hell is going on here, Reid? There’s something huge you’re not telling us. I may not know you as well as I thought, but I know that.”

What could he say to that? There was no denying it. “There is.”

“You need to tell us if we’re going to help you. How can we help you if we don’t know everything?”

“You can help by catching this man, Morgan.” Spencer was proud of how steady his voice was. He felt like he was shaking inside and yet it didn’t show on the outside at all.

At least, not until Derek’s next, low words. They hit Spencer like a slap to the face. “I’ve trusted you with some of my darkest shit. I thought you returned that trust. Guess I was wrong.”

Oh, no, no! Spencer sat up straighter in his bed, his expression agonized. He wanted to say that Derek was wrong, that he did trust him, but the truth was that if he had trusted him then he never would’ve kept this secret. Knowing that, seeing how much this hurt the man who was one of his very best friends, who was like family, it was like a physical hurt. Spencer hated to hurt anyone but he especially hated to hurt those he cared about. “I’m sorry.” The words spilled past his lips and they throbbed in the air between them. “Morgan, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to, to hurt you guys.” _It’s now or never. I can’t keep quiet anymore. This is the moment._ All the well planned lines that he’d been building in his head vanished in that moment and there were only three words that he could think of to say. Three words that would change his life forever. “I’m a mutant.”

The reaction he got was nothing like what he’d thought. He’d thought that they would gasp or yell. Demand to know why he hadn’t told them this before. He’d thought that he might see disgust or fear as some people displayed towards mutants. What he hadn’t counted on was for Derek to loudly declare “Bullshit. I think I’d know if my best friend was a mutant!”

Spencer focused totally on Derek. He forgot all about JJ, who was standing silent at his bedside. “It’s true, Morgan. You never knew because I can hide my powers. I can switch back and forth between who you see now and my, my other form. Those claw marks you found at the apartment – those were from me.”

He saw the disbelief on Derek’s face. Then the expression shifted and here was the reaction that Spencer had thought he’d find. Here was the anger. No, not just anger. _Fury_. Derek was furious. But he didn’t shout. He didn’t fling accusations or curses. He didn’t condemn Spencer for who he was or say any of those comments that Spencer had heard so many different times in his life. No, he just glared hotly at Spencer for one long, electric moment and then he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room. The sound of the door slamming shut behind him echoed like a gunshot.

Pain rolled through Spencer like a tidal wave. It took his breath away. Closing his eyes against the agony of it, he wrapped his arms around his waist, a gesture he’d had since he was a child, back when he’d always wanted so desperately to be held through his pain and there had been no one there to do it. He’d learned to hold himself. To offer himself that comfort, because there had been no one else. He’d always been alone.

He wasn’t alone now. A pair of arms came around him suddenly and Spencer startled so bad he almost jerked right out of them. Then JJ’s voice was there and she was laying her cheek on the top of his head and pulling him in even closer. “I’m so sorry, Spence. I’m so sorry he reacted like that. Morgan just needs some time to calm down, that’s all. He’ll come around.”

“You…you’re not mad?” He couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t mad about this? She wasn’t upset with him?

“I don’t care that you’re a mutant, Spence.” JJ promised him in a tone that left no room for argument. “That doesn’t change who you are to me. You’re still my family. You’re still Henry’s Godfather. Finding out you’re a mutant isn’t going to make me love you any less.”

“I doubt the rest of the team will feel that way.” Spencer said dully. “They’re going to find out. Jeffrey knows. I was planning on telling all of you before he had the chance to do it. Now I guess Morgan will take care of that for me.”

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

This was just too much. Too many extremes here. Spencer couldn’t keep up with them. He couldn’t hold himself together on this emotional rollercoaster. Despite the ache, he curled in on himself, and JJ let him. She knew him well and she could see that he’d been pushed too far. Too many things had happened the past few days and he had reached his limit. She let go of him and let him curl up in his bed. With gentle hands she lifted the blankets and tucked them lovingly around him. He had curled away from her, his back towards her and the door, and she rubbed her hand lightly over it. “I’ll be back later, Spence.” She promised him quietly.

After the agents left, Lillian poked her head in the room to check on Spencer and make sure that he was still doing okay. She saw his body tightly curled up under the blankets and even from the door she could see the tension in him. She could also clearly see the ‘keep back’ that was written in every inch of him. Silently, she stepped back and shut the door, granting him his privacy.

* * *

Standing in the conference room at the BAU, JJ found herself thinking that it was a good thing that Spencer was still at the clinic. That meant that he didn’t have to be here as she and Derek basically ruined his life. It sounded so melodramatic and yet that was what JJ felt like she was doing. She felt like she was destroying her friend’s life. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if everyone on the team had taken it well. But as she looked around the room, she saw some of the same anger that she’d seen on Derek. Anger that Derek still held. She also saw one thing she hadn’t expected at all – disgust. And it was on the very last person she ever would’ve thought would react badly.

Aaron Hotchner had a look on his face like that of someone who had just stepped in something disgusting. “You’re sure that’s what he said?”

“Positive.” JJ answered carefully. She watched Aaron’s lip curl up and his face harden and she ached inside for her friends.

Emily was saying nothing. Her face had gone blank, expressionless, the way it did when she was trying to hide what she felt. Then JJ’s eyes settled on Dave and she felt a small surge of hope. He didn’t look angry by this, or even upset. If anything, he looked…understanding. He proved that with his next words. “I don’t blame the kiddo for keeping it quiet.”

“ _What_?” Derek demanded, shocked.

“Oh come on, Morgan.” Dave said with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve seen how mutants are treated. Why would anyone willingly put themselves out there to be treated that way? If his powers give him a way to hide it, then I say good for him. He’s lucky.”

That had Emily spinning towards him. Just a hint of temper flashed in her otherwise calm face. “But he _lied_ to us. We’re not just some public group, Rossi. We’re his friends.”

“Yeah, and look at how well we’re all doing.” JJ interjected. She shot a hot look to Derek and then over to Aaron, deliberately calling attention to them. She glared at Derek the most; his temper tantrum had hurt Spencer deeply. More than he probably realized.

Their debate wasn’t given a chance to go any further. Aaron held up his hands in a bid for silence. When he had everyone’s attention, he dropped his hands down. The blatant disgust was gone from his face but in its place was a hardness that JJ had never thought to see there in relation to one of them. That was a look usually reserved for an Unsub. To know that it was there because of Spencer, it was heartbreaking. She prayed Spencer would never have to face the man he’d thought was his friend and have to see that look there. It would break his heart.

“We still have a case to work here.” Aaron reminded them all. “No matter our feelings on it, we have an Unsub that we need to catch and we need to focus on that. The rest of this – let’s keep this secret between us. I see no need for it to go any further than this room.” He looked at each of them and waited for their nods of agreement before continuing. “Morgan, go check with Garcia and see if she’s found out anything about our Unsub yet. JJ, I want you to make sure there are agents on that clinic at all times while Reid’s there. There’s a good chance that the Unsub could hunt for him there, especially if he has more mutants at his disposal to help him find Reid like he did before. Rossi, Prentiss, try and narrow down which warehouse it is that Reid was in. Let’s get to work and get this case done with, everyone.”

 

PART FOUR

The next morning Spencer was released from Lillian’s clinic with instructions on his care and warnings to take it easy and avoid much bending or lifting so that his ribs would have time to heal, as well as his wrists and shoulders. She also warned him to stay off his feet as much as possible and to elevate his leg when he was resting. She would’ve ordered him to go somewhere and rest some more if she’d thought it would do any good .They both knew that he wouldn’t, though. He couldn’t. As if to prove that, he found Emily and Dave sitting in the waiting room when he limped his way out. His escorts, he knew. Bodyguards. He wouldn’t be left alone until Jeffrey was caught.

Spencer watched them as he hesitantly made his way over to them. They would’ve been told by now, he knew. When they rose from their chairs, he couldn’t help freezing, keeping just slightly back, and he knew his body would be clearly telegraphing his worry and his caution. Emily looked surprised by his reaction. Dave, however, wasn’t surprised at all by Spencer's reaction, nor was he deterred by it. “Don’t look so worried, kiddo. I’m not going to attack you.” He said, chuckling. Walking right up to Spencer, he pulled him in for a careful hug. When they pulled apart he ruffled Spencer's hair and chuckled again as Spencer pulled back from the touch. And just like that, he not only let Spencer know that he knew the truth and didn’t care, he also let him know that it wasn’t going to change a thing between them.

Emily stepped up next and her look had Spencer's smile wiping away once more. She definitely didn’t look happy. But she stopped right in front of him and her eyes caught his, holding him in place. “I’m not happy, Reid.” She told him bluntly. “I don’t like that you lied to us. But,” Here she sighed and some of the temper faded away off her face. In its place was compassion tempered by an understanding he hadn’t expected to see. “How can I blame you for keeping a secret like this? Especially after my own secrets.”

This wasn’t going at all like he’d thought it would. Spencer looked back and forth between the two and he felt a solid knot of emotion build in his throat. It took two tries to clear it out. “Thank you. Thank you guys so much.”

“We’ve been through too much together to let something like this break us apart.” Emily said, smiling.

Gently putting a hand on Spencer's back, Dave steered him towards the door. “C’mon, Reid. Let’s go to the Bureau and catch this bastard.”

* * *

Walking through the bullpen was a strange experience. Quite a few people called out greetings to him, welcoming him back, and Spencer flushed underneath the attention. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel like everyone who looked at him knew the truth, knew his secret, even though Dave had assured him that only the team knew. Spencer couldn’t get up to the conference room fast enough.

When he walked it, the strangeness didn’t go away. If anything, it grew. Seeing the evidence boards with the photos of his apartment, the first look he’d had at the damage done there—Oh, man, it was a _wreck_!—and all the other little signs that showed the work they’d done, it was just strange. Strange to see all the proof of their profiling of him. He’d profiled people countless times in here; he’d just never pictured he’d be the one up on the board there one day. Now that he was, he wasn’t quite sure he liked that fact. It felt horribly invasive. Looking at the boards, Spencer found himself blurting out “I suddenly have a whole new respect for the victims who’ve had to see our evidence boards.”

“Not that fun on the receiving end, I imagine.” Dave said agreeably.

Spencer looked a moment longer before shaking his head. “No. No, it’s not.” He turned his attention to the rest of the room finally and a small pang hit him when he saw Derek slip out the other door. Okay, apparently he couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with Spencer. Great. That was just great. Why?  What was it that got to him? Was it that Spencer had kept these secrets, or was it that he was a mutant? Derek had never showed a prejudice before. In fact, out of everyone, Spencer had figured that Derek would be the one to be the most understanding. The man had encountered prejudice his entire life because of his skin color. How could he judge anyone else for being different? Then again, that didn’t seem to stop others. Spencer had seen black activists who were avid mutant haters. Understanding prejudice in one form didn’t mean that a person understood it in all forms.

But Spencer refused to believe that Derek was angry because of his mutation. Over the years that they’d known one another the man had never showed anything at all that would indicate that he had a problem with mutants. In fact, he’d always seemed to be all for equal rights. Maybe it really was just the secrets that bothered him. Maybe he hadn’t stormed out because Spencer was a mutant, but because that secret was just the final straw.

Spencer was pulled from his contemplation by a very familiar voice. “Oh, my, Goodness. Reid!”

He blinked his eyes and cleared his vision in just enough time to be pulled in by the whirlwind more commonly known as Penelope Garcia. She immediately pulled him in for a big hug that somehow managed to keep from pressing on his injuries in any way at all. When she pulled back she brought her hands up to lightly touch at the bruises on his face. “Look at what he did to you! My poor little genius. How could he mark that pretty face of yours?”

Heat flared up in Spencer's cheeks, made worse by the chuckles that came from around him. He didn’t bother trying to pull away from Penelope’s touch. She was a very hands-on person and he knew it would help her to feel better if he stood there and let her fawn over him for a moment. Still, he tried to reassure her. “I’m better than I look, Garcia. My doctor cleared me and everything.”

“Well, I don’t care. You just sit right down over here and rest.” She told him firmly.

Spencer found himself ushered over into a chair at the round table. He was actually grateful for her hands as he lowered himself down. When he was seated, she let go of him to reach down into the bag at her hip. From inside there she pulled out something that had him giving one of the first true, big smiles since he’d come back. It was a scarf. Not just any scarf—a scarf exactly like his favorite version of the 4th Doctor’s scarf on Doctor Who. “I’ve been knitting this for you for a while for your birthday, but I think you deserve it now.” She told him.

“It’s fantastic, Garcia.” He told her, choosing his words deliberately because he knew they’d make her smile.

Sure enough she smiled at him while she wound the scarf around his neck. “For you, boy genius? Nothing but the best.” Bending, she surprised and embarrassed him by pressing a kiss to the top of his hair. “Now stay out of trouble for at least a day or so, okay? My heart can’t take this stress anymore. Just sit here, look handsome, and I’ll go get you some of the good coffee that’s down in my office.” And she turned and quickly bustled out of the room, leaving him staring after her with his cheeks a deep red and a goofy smile on his lips.

Because he was watching her go, he saw as Aaron’s office door opened and the Unit Chief walked out. The man caught sight of him and the expression on his face was one that Spencer knew he’d never forget. His own smile froze and slowly started to fade. For one brief instant there had been so much anger, so much revulsion right there on Aaron’s face, it was like nothing he’d ever thought to see directed his way. So shocking was it, he actually turned to look behind him to see if maybe there was someone else behind him, someone that would put that kind of look on Aaron’s face. There was no way the man could be looking at _him_ that way, could he?

There was only Dave behind him. Dave, who was looking at Spencer now with a look of such sympathy that Spencer knew. Yes, that look _was_ for him. Aaron was looking at him like that.

When Spencer turned back around, he found Aaron had come forward and was now standing at the entrance to the conference room. That horrible look was off his face, thankfully. In its place was an expression so cold and flat it was almost worse than the other one. “Reid, I need to speak with you.”

A lump built in Spencer's throat. Why did that request—no, that definitely was a _command_ , not a request—sound so chilling? “Yes, sir.”

Spencer managed to get up out of the chair without any help and he carefully limped his way down the walkway to Aaron’s office. When they were both inside, Aaron shut the door and Spencer had to fight not to go and yank it back open. Years of being bullied had taught him to never be shut inside of a small confined space with someone who had looked at him the way that Aaron had just moments before. He’d learned that lesson the hard way at a very young age. Doing that was just a recipe for disaster. It always ended up with injuries and they were rarely ever to the other person. They wouldn’t be here, either. He would never be able to bring himself to strike out at someone who had been his good friend for the past nine years.

 _Hotch isn’t going to hurt me_ , he scolded himself. _Quit being dramatic! He’s not going to hurt me. That’s not the type of person he is._ Still, Spencer found himself taking a small step back, keeping a safe distance between them until Aaron was safely behind his desk. Only then did Spencer relax slightly. He didn’t, however, sit. Something told him it would be better to stay on his feet for this meeting.

He figured that Aaron would have questions. Countless questions, probably. There were so many things that Spencer knew he would ask if he were in the man’s shoes. Yet it wasn’t surprising that the very first thing he asked was “Is what Morgan said true? Are you a mutant?”

No more lies. Spencer folded his hands in front of him and lifted his chin ever so slightly. He would not stand here like he was ashamed of himself. “Yes.”

He’d braced himself for more questions. For a demand of an explanation. What actually happened was nothing he could’ve ever prepared himself for. Aaron turned even colder and harder than before as, in just a few short sentences, he calmly ripped away Spencer's world. “I expect your credentials and your letter of resignation to be on my desk before the day is through. The Bureau has a very strong anti-mutant policy. Do that and I’ll keep your secret. But if I don’t have those by the close of the day, I will take this to Strauss. Don’t make me have to do that. Am I clear?”

This was worse than any blow that Jeffrey had dealt him. Spencer wanted to wrap his arms around himself and curl up in defense against this. He felt like he should look down to see if he was truly bleeding from the sharp cut of those icy words. One look at Aaron’s face told him that the man was absolutely serious on this and he wouldn’t be moved. A part of Spencer's heart broke in that moment. His voice was thick as he managed to make himself “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Is there somewhere that you’ll be staying so we know how to contact you concerning this case?”

 _Focus on answering the questions and doing what needs to be done. Don’t think about how much it hurts._ “I’ll be staying with Tanya, I assume. She’ll put me up until I can take care of my apartment.”

“Then we’ll contact you as soon as we’re aware of anything. I can send officers over to watch the house for you until we have Jeffrey in custody.”

“No, sir. That won’t be necessary.”

A knock came at the door then, cutting into their conversation. Spencer didn’t move as the door opened and Emily poked her head in. “Jeffrey’s been sighted down by the warehouse.” She said, wasting no time. “The police there are watching. We’re on our way down now.”

“Let’s go.” Aaron said. Without once glancing back, he walked right out of his office. Emily spared a moment to look at Spencer, the debate on her face obvious. “Reid?”

“Go.” He said in a voice that was so flat it almost sounded dead. He turned to her and she shivered at the look that was in his eyes. “Go, Emily. They need you.”

“I’ll find you when I get back, okay? We’re going to get him. We’ll stop him.”

Spencer said nothing. He just stood there until she too was gone.

It was as if time stood still after Hotch left the room. Spencer just stood there, frozen to the spot. Numb.  His mind replayed the last few minutes over and over again. The look on Aaron's face, the tension in his body, the ice of his eyes and the coldness of his words...

A drawer slammed closed in the bullpen, startling Spencer, and time abruptly started moving once again.

Spencer felt like he was moving on autopilot. His was moving, reaching out and laying his credentials on Aaron’s desk, and then he was turning and making his way calmly out of the office. His body was functioning on its own without any input from him. It was like he was sitting somewhere inside of himself, watching as he went through the motions of going to his desk, of sitting down and typing up a quick letter of resignation that he then emailed out to both Strauss and Aaron. _I should be feeling something right now_ he thought to himself. _I should be hurting, angry—something_. Only, he wasn’t. Even as he grabbed a box from a storage closet and then packed his few personal items into it, he still felt nothing. He didn’t even feel the pain in his battered body when he gathered that box up and started to make his way out. The ache of the bruises on his chest, his throbbing wrists, the stinging pain from the cut on his leg, it all registered without becoming actually real to him.

He was halfway across the bullpen when the doors opened and Penelope came in with the cup of coffee she’d promised him earlier. He’d forgotten all about that. Wow. That seemed like hours ago. Had it really only been minutes?

Penelope took one look at the look on his face and she came hurrying over towards him. “Reid! What on earth are you doing? You shouldn’t be carrying anything with your injuries!”

Absently, Spencer looked down at himself and then back up at her. That numbness was still holding him tight in its grasp. It made his tone as flat and empty as the rest of him. “I’m fine.”

Something crossed Penelope’s face. Her expression gentled and her eyes grew slightly worried. “What happened, sweetie? What’s going on?” She reached out to the box and, for the first time, caught a glimpse inside. That worry in her eyes grew. “Reid…this is the stuff from your desk.”

“I’m quitting.” The words came out just as flat as the rest. He knew they hurt her and he could see that they only upset her even more, yet he couldn’t care. He couldn’t even care about the pain he knew he should be feeling. How could he care about someone else’s right now? _This is Garcia! She doesn’t deserve being treated so callously. She deserves an explanation._ Spencer just didn’t think he could give his explanation once again. Let the others tell it. Still, he had to give her something. “Some things have come to light between the team and I and it’s been decided that we can no longer work together. I turned in my credentials and my letter of resignation and now, I’m leaving.”

If he thought she would argue with him, he was wrong. “Let me take you to wherever you need to go, Reid.” She didn’t give him a chance to argue. Reaching out, she took the box from him and then used it to prod him out of the building. He went, not seeing any reason to argue. He had no idea just how badly he was scaring her right then. He didn’t know that his eyes were wide in his face and just slightly blank, like he wasn’t quite home.

Penelope got him downstairs and buckled into her car. When asked where he wanted to go, he gave her the directions to Tanya’s place. It was the only place he could think of to go at the moment. He knew he’d always be welcome there. She’d always welcome him in. She wouldn’t hate him, wouldn’t stare at him with that disgust in her eyes or that anger on her face. She wouldn’t send him packing just because he was different. _No, no, don’t think about that. Don’t feel it. I can’t handle this right now. I can’t feel this. Not here. I will not break down here_. He grasped at that numbness and yanked it even tighter around himself. It wasn’t just numbness that wrapped him, though; it was exhaustion. He was so damn tired.

At some point in their drive, Penelope’s phone rang. He was just vaguely aware of her talking to someone. Then her hand was settling on his leg and he had to blink his eyes a few times to clear them. When he looked to her, she had a gentle look on her face. She snuck a glance at him and then looked back at the road. “That was Morgan on the phone. He said they found Jeffrey and cornered him and he tried to shoot his way out. He was shot, sweetie. He won’t ever come after you again.”

A little part deep down inside of Spencer felt happy at that. There was no remorse in him for this man’s death. Not for a monster like him. But the bigger part of Spencer just didn’t care. He was just too tired to care.

Spencer jerked his head up when he felt a hand touch his arm. He looked up and was stunned to see his door was open and Tanya squatting there beside him. Hadn’t they been driving just a moment ago? When had they arrived and why hadn’t he noticed?

Tanya pulled on him and Spencer realized that she had unbuckled his seatbelt without him even noticing. The woman moved his legs out of the car and then lifted his arm around her neck, and, with more strength than she looked like she had, she pulled him into a standing position, slipping her other arm behind him to support his back. It made his shoulders scream in that distant sort of way that he acknowledged but didn’t truly feel. With Tanya on one side, and Penelope coming up on the other, he found himself moving, not really caring where he was going. The exhaustion was taking over; his whole body was heavy with it. 

The last thing he remembered was falling down onto a soft bed. Then, dark.

* * *

The case was done, their Unsub gone, and Spencer was safe. Any other time and Derek would’ve been happy. He would’ve been with Spencer, celebrating the fact that he’d once again survived. But today—today, he was standing here in Spencer's trashed apartment, looking around wondering when the hell everything had changed on him. What had prompted him to come here, he didn’t know. After everything had been wrapped up at the BAU he had climbed into his car with every intention of going home and unwinding. Somehow, he’d ended up here. Cutting away the police tape, he’d used the spare key Spencer had given him years ago and he let himself inside. Then, for the longest time, he just stood there and stared.

It seemed sort of natural when he started to clean things up. He needed something to do with his hands. It helped him to control the chaotic churning of his thoughts. Little by little he started to put Spencer's apartment to rights while he forced himself to really look at what it was he was feeling.

He was angry, yes. Of course he was angry. Spencer had been lying to them for years, keeping this huge secret from them. How could he have kept this quiet? Didn’t he trust them?

 _Look at how Hotch reacted_ , a quiet voice in his mind pointed out.

Derek scowled at that little voice of reason. Squatting down, he grabbed one of Spencer's bookshelves and lifted it back upright with just a small grunt. Sure, Aaron had reacted badly. Or, okay, not just _badly_. He’d reacted in a worse way than Derek had ever thought the man would. Who would’ve guessed that _Hotch_ of all people would have that much prejudice in him? That had to hurt Spencer. He’d been rejected and shunned for so many different reasons in his life. This was just another one to add into the mix.

It just…it left him wondering how well he really knew him. Did he really know Spencer at all? Had everything just been a lie?

That thought plagued him while he gathered up books off the floor and stacked them over near the bookshelves. He wouldn’t bother trying to put them on there; Spencer had an organizational system that Derek didn’t even try to understand. If he put them on, Spencer would just take them down later and put them back the way he wanted. He lifted up another book and found something lying broken underneath it. He winced when he realized what it was; a picture. Spencer kept random space on his shelves for a picture frame here and there. Derek carefully brushed away the broken glass and picked the picture up. When he saw what it was, a slow smile curved his lips. It was one of Spencer, Derek and Elle all decked out in their Halloween masks and monster gloves, posing threateningly for the camera. Derek remembered when they’d taken that. Spencer had brought the Halloween stuff in that morning and he’d handed it out to the others. The only person to get into it with him had been Penelope and between the two of them, they’d browbeat the others into it. Penelope was the one to suggest taking the picture, actually. Elle had jokingly complained about it and Spencer, still so shy and nervous around them in those days, had deflated ever so slightly. That had been all it had taken for Derek to don the mask and gloves. All decked out, the trio had posed right there at Elle’s desk.

Derek carefully set the picture on the shelf. He squatted down again, sifting through the mess until he found another picture. This one was a team one, just before David’s time. JJ, Emily, Derek, Aaron, Gideon, Penelope and Spencer, all bunched together. Derek didn’t remember who had taken the picture. But they all looked so happy in it. Spencer was in the middle, towards the bottom of the group, and he was beaming in that way of his that always made people smile back at him.

Another picture, this one of Spencer and Derek at Spencer's birthday party, a candid shot that caught them as Derek was trying to teach Spencer how to properly grill a burger. No matter how many times they had a party for him, the kid never failed to be surprised that they thought the throw a party for him. He always expected so little. That year, they’d had the party at Derek’s house. Just a barbeque in the backyard. Spencer smiled and blushed almost through the whole thing.

The next picture Derek picked up was of everyone. Not just team, but families. This was taken at the last picnic they’d all had. There was Dave, Emily, JJ, Will, Henry, Aaron, Jack, Spencer, Penelope and Derek. He held the picture carefully in his hands. The frame that held it all was cracked on the one side, almost coming apart. It was a frame that Henry had made for Spencer just for this picture. He’d painted it himself and glued on the little macaroni noodles that kids used so much in art. It was one of Spencer's most prized possessions. The picture held a place of honor on his coffee table so that he could always look at it. His family photo, he called it.

They were a family. One big, giant, dysfunctional family, each with their own stories, their own pasts, their own lives, and, yes, their own secrets. Family stood by one another, supported each other, and they sure as hell didn’t walk away from each other when things got tough.

Derek felt his temper fall away from him. Picture still held in his hand, he pushed to his feet. Then he turned and headed quickly out of the apartment. He had something very important to take care of.

 

PART FIVE

It was still light out when Spencer woke later on. A glance at the clock, though, told him that he’d slept for hours. His body had apparently decided that it’d had enough and just shut down on him. What finally woke him up quickly became clear when he tried to move and his body gave a loud protest. As soon as he acknowledged that, it was like all the other pains came roaring in as well, making themselves known. His bruised ribs were throbbing, his head was pounding, the cut on his leg burned like hell, his arms barely wanted to move from the ache in his shoulders, and his wrists and hands were throbbing in tune with his heartbeat. That didn’t count all the other little aches and pains. Those were just the big ones.

Spencer could’ve wept with gratitude when he saw the glass of water and the bottle of medication that was blessedly open on the nightstand. A quick look showed it was the usual non-narcotic that Lillian prescribed him. It was one they knew he was safe to take and that worked well. He downed two of them and the whole glass of water before carefully lying back once more on the soft bed. He was lucky that he’d run into Penelope on his way out of the bullpen yesterday. While he was embarrassed to have fallen apart this way in front of her, and he was definitely going to have to call and thank her later, he wasn’t sure if he would’ve made it here without the help. Between the physical and emotional pain, he’d just had too much to process and his mind had shut down on him. It was all thanks to her that he’d gotten here where he was somewhere safe.

The pain from earlier tried to creep back in and Spencer worked to ignore it. He couldn’t think about that right now. He couldn’t let himself think about that right now.

With a pained sigh, he gathered together what energy he had and started the long process and getting up out of bed. Muscles that had just hurt yesterday after his rescue were now stiff and sore. He discovered as he sat up that he was pretty limited on what would work. His ribs didn’t let him bend well and there was no way in hell his arms could support his weight in any way. Between his shoulders and wrists, his arms were pretty much out of commission. Eventually he gave up on trying to sit up and went about it a different way entirely. He very carefully rolled his body to the edge of the bed and then rolled onto his stomach and slid his legs down off the bed. But he didn’t push up or force his body to straighten. Instead, he let his feet hit the floor and he put his weight on them as he slowly slid the rest of him off as well, ending up in a ridiculous looking squat beside the bed. _I’m glad there’s no one here to see this_ he thought to himself. Silly looking or not, it worked, even if the cut on his leg was burning even more now. He bore down on his good leg and straightened up.

A duffle bag was sitting on a chair nearby and a quick look showed that someone had grabbed him some clothes as well as other essentials. He pulled out just a simple pair of sweats and a t-shirt, plus his bathroom bag. Cradling his items in his arms, he made his way out of the bedroom and directly across the hall into the guest bathroom. He had absolutely no qualms about making himself at home here. This was Tanya’s place and it was like a second home for him. As she was known to say, he wasn’t a stranger here, he was family.

Stripping out of his clothes was an experience in pain that he could happy have lived without. It was all worth it, though, when he got underneath the shower spray and the hot water hit his aching muscles.

Thirty minutes later, barefoot and clad in his lounge clothes, he made his way out towards the kitchen, following the sounds of someone cooking. What he found when he reached the kitchen/dining area had him stopping with surprise. Tanya was there, as he’d expected, cooking what appeared to be breakfast-for-dinner, one of her absolute favorite dinners. But sitting at the table drinking coffee were JJ, Emily, Penelope and Dave.

Spencer looked at them all with surprise. “Uh, hey guys.”

“Well hey there, kiddo.” Dave greeted him warmly. JJ, Emily and Penelope all added their greetings as well, their voices ringing around the room.

From her spot by the stove, Tanya didn’t even turn around to call out “Sit down, Spence. Lillian says you need plenty of rest. The last thing you need is to be up. I’ve got coffee brewing and pancakes cooking here, so you’ve got good timing.”

What else could he do? Spencer knew that tone and he knew better than to disobey her. He went to the table and carefully slid down into an open seat. Deliberately he kept himself a little ways away from the others. The fact that they were here at all would suggest that they didn’t have a problem with him. However, he wasn’t taking anything for granted, not right now. Especially not after earlier. Then someone else came into the room and Spencer's shock was complete. Astounded, he sat in his chair and watched as Derek came strolling out of the pantry like he was completely at ease here. “Was this what you wanted, Tanya?” He asked, holding a jar out towards her that looked to be her homemade berry syrup.

She tipped enough to look at it and gave a nod. “Yep. Himself over there loves that. Just set that over by the sink and I’ll get to it in a moment. Dinner should be about another five to ten minutes.” She tipped her head and looked at Derek, arching a brow at him. “Plenty of time for a little talking out there.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a mock salute and a smile before making his way over towards the table.

The two friends watched each other as Derek came right up to the chair beside Spencer. He sank down into it and folded his arms on the table, never once breaking eye contact with Spencer. He didn’t give the silence a chance to stretch out. In his usual, straightforward way, he said “I owe you one hell of an apology, Reid.”

Spencer felt his eyes widen even more. “ _What_?”

“You heard me, kid.” Derek teased him. He gave a weak smile that quickly faded away. “I reacted badly to this whole thing and it wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair. I don’t like knowing that you had a whole life you felt like you couldn’t tell us about, but I guess I understand why you didn’t. Especially considering what happened when you did tell us.” Pausing, he reached down into his pocket and pulled out a picture frame that had sat on Spencer's coffee table. It was one that Henry had made for him. Spencer could see the crack in it, the line of superglue that held it together where it must’ve been broken in the attack, and his throat clenched a little. Derek set it down in front of him. “I guess I just needed a little boot in the ass to realize what an idiot I was being. Think you can forgive me?”

At first Spencer could only sit there and stare at him. Then, without thinking, he said the first thing that came to mind, letting his heart lead for once instead of his mind. “Of course. You are and always will be the best friends that I’ve ever had, Morgan.”

“Aww.”

The group chorus had Derek laughing and Spencer blushing. Tanya saved him any further embarrassment by bringing over a heaping plate of pancakes and setting it in the middle of the table. “Now that we’ve gotten the first round of emotional stuff out of the way, let’s eat. The rest can wait for later.” She told them all firmly. No one disobeyed her. Plates and silverware were passed around and plenty of coffee was poured and Spencer found himself sitting at the head of the table and watching as his friends dug in to pancakes that were quickly hailed the absolute best any of them had ever had. Tanya beamed proudly as she moved around the table, passing things out here and there, refreshing cups. She wasn’t eating, herself. She just took a cup of coffee and came over to settle on the arm of Spencer's chair. He was grateful for her being there. She didn’t make a fuss about helping to put pancakes on his plate for him when his arms wouldn’t lift out far enough and she gave him a soft spot to rest against when he was done eating and was sitting back in his chair.

There was no real conversation through the meal. Everyone was too busy enjoying it all. But soon enough the food was done, the dishes were cleared away and put into the dishwasher—Emily, JJ and Penelope firmly took care of that, insisting that Tanya stay seated and let them help—and cups were refreshed from the fresh pot of coffee that had had to be brewed.

When everyone was settled in, Spencer looked around at his friends and he knew what was coming now. Now was going to be the time for questions and answers. Now was when they were going to try to understand and he was going to have to explain himself as best as possible. With Tanya still sitting on the arm of his chair, one of her arms resting on the back right behind his head, he thought it might not be so bad. She was very firmly on his side here. He wasn’t alone.

It was up to him to start this, he knew. Drawing strength together, he forced himself to sit just a little straighter. “So, do I remember correctly? Did you guys get Jeffrey?”

“We did.” Dave said. He had a slightly pleased look on his face. “He started firing and was taken down. He won’t be coming back to bother you, kiddo.”

The smile that stretched Spencer's lips was sharp and held just a hint of his inner predator to it, startling his friends. They’d never seen that kind of a look on his face before. By his shoulder, he heard Tanya’s sharp “Good.” And he nodded his head, agreeing with her sentiment. He gave himself a moment to just enjoy that feeling. Jeffrey had done horrible things, had almost destroyed a man who still hadn’t recovered from him, and for that, Spencer would not mourn him.

He let go of his smile and took a moment to lift his mug and take a drink from his coffee. His hands wobbled only slightly and he winced before setting the mug back down. When he looked up again, he’d schooled his expression to calm once more. “I imagine that you all have questions you’d like to ask. Things you’d like answered. But first things first, let me get something out of the way. As I imagine Garcia probably already told you all, I resigned today. I left my credentials on Hotch’s desk and sent my letter of resignation to both him and Strauss, and I emptied my desk. I won’t be coming back to the Bureau. And I’m sorry if it offends you, but I really don’t want to discuss the reasons why. Not today.”

The looks he saw around the table told him that they’d all probably already figured out exactly what had happened. “We understand, Reid.” JJ reassured him.

“Thank you.” Relaxing just a little, he gave them all a shy smile. “Is there anything you guys want to ask? I, well, I’ll answer whatever I can.”

“I wanna know what you can do.” Derek said promptly, making everyone laugh. “It’s been driving me crazy. You said those claw marks back at your place were from _you_. What’s your power, kid?”

Leave it to Derek to come right out and ask like that. Spencer looked down at himself and he debated for just a moment. As if reading his mind, Tanya said “It’d be simpler just to show them. Your clothes should be loose enough.”

“Lean back a little then, please. Those extra few inches in height might offset your balance.” He warned her. Once she’d shifted back just a little, leaning outwards, Spencer closed his eyes and reached down inside of himself. Then he ‘flipped the switch’ and felt the change race over him.

One time he’d set up a video camera and recorded himself, just so he could see the change as it happened. He’d been curious. It was a very interesting experience to watch. His limbs lengthened ever so slightly and he gained an extra inch or two. At the same time, that tawny fur grew out all over him, covering his skin, and his hair changed color. It wasn’t any gradual thing to watch, really. Parts of him seemed to just, ripple and shift, almost like the very air around him rippled and pulsed. All it took was just a breath before he opened his now amber eyes. The shock on the faces around him brought a smile to his face, which only served to highlight his sharp fangs. Behind him, he felt his tail move and he slipped it through the hole on the back of the chair so that it was free to wave behind him, the black tip peeking up over his shoulder for a moment before going back down. He knew the change in looks was a shock. The tawny fur, with the white around his mouth and on his throat that they could see, and the tiny bit of black on the back of his now slightly rounded ears. His body was longer, with more definition to it as well. For the moment he kept his hands folded in his lap so they wouldn’t see the pads on his palms or the furred fingers that ended in no visible nail. At least, not visible until he pushed the claws out.

“Oh my word.” Penelope breathed out. Her eyes were wide. All of a sudden her lips stretched wide in a huge grin. “Reid, you’re _beautiful_!”

Even though no blush showed through the fur, there was no denying his embarrassment as he dropped his head down and looked down and away.

That broke the spell over the room. Laughter bubbled up from everyone. Tanya reached out and hooked her fingers just behind his ear to scratch in one of his absolute favorite places. “He’s always beautiful. But this way, he is more true to himself. This is how he was meant to be.” She said fondly. He had to pull away from her hand when he felt a low vibration start in his throat. That was the last thing he needed to do right now! Get scratched by his friend and start purring right here in front of everyone.

The laughter died down and Spencer was amazed to see that his friends all still smiled at him. None of them seemed to be scared of how he looked. They didn’t seem disgusted by it. Sure, they were staring a little, but he could handle that. That was to be expected. He just hadn’t expected their easy acceptance. It put a warm feeling low down in his stomach, chasing away some of the sickness that still sat there form earlier today.

“You look almost like a cougar.” Emily commented, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table.

Spencer nodded his head. “I am. I’m sort of a cougar/human hybrid.”

“What does it do for you?” JJ asked. “I mean, aside from the obvious. Are your senses better than normal?”

“No, they can’t be. You wear glasses.” Penelope pointed out.

Shifting a little to adjust for his ribs, Spencer found himself relaxing as he finally got to explain this part of himself to these people who mattered so much to him. “When I’m in what we call my human form, I’m just as average as the next person, though I do hear and smell slightly better than normal. When I’m in this form, I gain qualities of a cougar. My senses are enhanced this way. I also get the speed, agility, endurance.”

“He’s basically got enhanced senses and an enhanced physical form, as we catalog it.” Tanya supplied. She’d leaned back in once more, her arm going again to the back of Spencer's chair. “While those don’t’ really bleed over to his human form, there are some things that do. More than he’ll admit to. You’ve all probably noticed some of it without even realizing it. He’s quiet and solitary, as cougars are. He’s also intensely curious. And he gets very feline when he becomes relaxed. You can see it in the way he stretches out sometimes, or how he can find a way to fall asleep on almost any space.”

“You make me sound like a housecat.” Spencer said, scowling up at her.

“No, man, she’s totally right.” Derek cut in with a laugh. He was grinning broadly at Spencer. “I’ve seen it, Reid. Hell, you’ve done it at my place when you get all stretched out on my couch. You never had any trouble stretching out there like you owned the thing. I’ve always teased you about that.” Stopping, Derek let out a startled laugh. “Holy shit. I told you once that having you over was like adopting a giant housecat.”

A devilish smile curved Spencer's lips. “Yes. I enjoyed the humor in that quite a bit.”

“Wait…is this why Clooney has such issues with you? He usually likes everyone.”

“Yes.” Picking up his mug, Spencer carefully cradled it between his hands so he could take a drink and wet his throat. “It’s why I have what you all call the ‘Reid effect’. In reality, animals are just reacting to my scent.”

The table fell quiet for a few minutes and Spencer let it. He knew this was a lot to take in. It was a lot for a person to have to process. He gave them the silence and just took a little bit to drink his coffee. But eventually he leaned forward a set his mug back down on the table, looking around at the faces of his friends. “Was there anything else you guys wanted to know? Any other questions that you have?”

There was just a moment’s hesitation. Then, biting her lip, JJ voiced a hesitant question. “Does this have something to do with whatever those ledgers were about?”

Well, hell. Talk about a loaded question. That set Spencer back in his seat. He felt Tanya startle as well and realized that she didn’t know that his ledgers had been found. He looked up at her, unsure of how to answer this. This wasn’t just his secret. Like before, he didn’t want to give away something that didn’t involve only him. Telling them wasn’t a choice that he could make on his own. He could see on Tanya’s face that she understood his hesitance. She smiled kindly at him and reached up to tuck a bit of his hair behind his ear. “You trust them, right?” She asked. He nodded at her and her smile grew. “Then I trust them. They don’t need names, but we can tell them the general premise. They deserve to understand a little, Spencer.”

“You’re right. Of course you’re right.” He leaned into her just the slightest bit as he turned his eyes back to his friends. “I need to ask you to keep this part of things to yourselves. This isn’t just my secret. There are others who would be put at risk.”

“What’s said here, stays here.” Dave promised him. The others echoed that sentiment.

Now that he had permission, essentially, and he was free to tell them, he didn’t quite know how to put it all into words. How to explain this? Especially to people who weren’t at all involved in this lifestyle. The people he’d explained it to before had all been people who were joining into things, or who were already partially involved. They carried some understanding already. His friends here didn’t. Then again, they might understand other parts better, considering the things they’d seen in their line of work. To make them understand, though, he was going to have to go back a ways. This wasn’t something that he could just give them a few facts to and expect them to understand. He had to tell them the story that went with it. “I have to go back a little ways to make you guys understand before I get to the ledgers themselves. Just explaining what they are would only bring up more questions.”

“We’ve got plenty of time.” Emily said.

Nodding, Spencer took her at her word. He had no idea how long this story would take to tell. “I guess it starts when I first met Tanya.”

“Let me tell this part.” Tanya said, laying her hand on Spencer's shoulder. He gave her a nod and she smiled up at the group of profilers. “I told Derek and Emily that Spencer saved my life when he met me. I was honestly being literal. The man that he saved me from had bought me off a mutant auction block. When Spencer came along it was just a matter of right place, right time, and he got me away from the man who owned me. He brought me home, cleaned me up, and told me he could get me to a shelter that could help me get away, or that I was welcome to stay there with him as long as I needed until I could get back on my feet. I chose to stay. And so, I became his first.”

“His first?” JJ asked.

“Yes. The first one that Spencer rescued.”

Reaching up, Spencer tapped Tanya’s leg. “Who’s telling this story, you or me?”

“I’m so sorry.” She said, not at all apologetic. “Please, continue.”

He rolled his eyes at her and chuckled softly. Then his expression turned serious once more as he got back to his story. “She makes it sound like I started on some personal mission here or something. That’s not what I did. I didn’t turn into some caped crusader, set out to right the wrongs of the world. I just…there are so many people out there, so many mutants, and no one helps them. No one does anything for them simply because they’re mutants. I wanted to do something to try and help. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to do something. Of course, Tanya was all for helping me. But still, there wasn’t much two teenagers could do. Sometimes I’d hear something, find out some information, and I’d go in as Stalker—in this form.” He tacked that last bit on, realizing that they didn’t know who ‘Stalker’ was. “And I’d help. As the years went by and I helped more people, more of them, like Tanya, chose to stay around, to try and help me.”

“We’ve got a team now of our own. A group of us that does this together. All of us are people that Spencer's helped in some way or another.” Tanya said.

The four profilers seemed stunned. “It’s like…you’re like your own X-Men here or something.” Emily said in shock.

Immediately Spencer shook his head, scowling. “We’re not like the X-Men.” On that he was going to make sure he was very, very clear. The hell if he wanted to be thought of like them. That wasn’t what they did here and that wasn’t what was going on. “The X-Men fight for the Dream. They fight to make the world a place where everyone can live together. With us, that’s not what we’re about. That’s not what I do. What _we_ do.”

“Then what are you doing?” JJ asked curiously.

“We’re giving people freedom.” The reply was delivered in a voice that was so soft, yet so powerful. “We give people freedom, JJ. Have you ever seen the mutant auction blocks?” Spencer ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the pull in his shoulder, and he sighed. “The people that I work with, they all came off mutant trafficking rings or out of bad situations. Each trafficking ring I find, I do what I can to shut it down. I spend months researching, gathering intel, planning, and then I do everything I can to shut it down and to help the people left behind when I do. That’s what you saw in the ledgers. It’s information, dates, locations for the newest one that we’re trying to pin down. There’s also account information where we store any money we might need to take care of this. I refuse to walk through life knowing that _people_ , human beings, are being sold like animals and no one helps them because they’re _mutants_. I choose to fight back against it. I choose to do what I can to help. We get these people out of some horrible situations and we help them to get somewhere safe.”

“It’s like a mutant underground railroad.” Tanya offered helpfully. “We pull them out and feed them into the shelter system and they get to a safe place or they get to the right kind of help they need. “

Realization dawned on a few faces. “Like this Mickey kid.” Dave said.

“Like Mickey.” Spencer agreed.

“And you do all this in your spare time, Reid?” Emily asked incredulously. “How do you manage it? Work doesn’t leave us much time for a social life, let alone something like _this_.”

“I find the time. Plus,” Here he smiled up at Tanya an she smiled back down at him. “I’m not alone in this. I have a good team. Besides, it’s not as if we’re going out and doing this every other night. These things take time and planning.”

Tanya nodded her agreement. “A _lot_ of planning.”

“Working at the Bureau helped, too, actually. It provided me with access to people and information I might not have otherwise.” Spencer admitted that with a smile that wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. He had no qualms about having used Bureau resources to help them. “I’ve made some connections over in Human Trafficking, too, that should hopefully hold up even with me no longer being at the Bureau.” The minute he said those words, he saw multiple flinches around the table. Surprisingly, he found the words didn’t really hurt him. Not right now. His busy mind had had plenty of time to think about everything and to start to look at this from all angles. “It’s okay, guys. I always knew it would come down to this one day.”

That prompted them to finally ask what he knew they’d had to be wondering for a while now. “What’re you going to do now, Reid?” Emily asked.

“I’ve thought about that off and on over the years. There are a few options, though if I want to continue my other work, that does limit those options. Tanya and I once talked about opening up our own private consultation service. We could do security consultations, I could be a bit of a profiler-for-hire, and we could help people who are too afraid to go to the police. Mutants who know they won’t get any help otherwise.”

“Reid, that sounds like a great idea.” JJ said brightly.

Spencer shrugged as casually as he could, trying not to look too pleased with her words. “It’s just a thought, that’s all. Nothing concrete.”

“It’d be a perfect cover for you to continue your other work, too.” Derek input.

Most surprising of all was Dave’s response, though. Oh-so-casually, like it was nothing, he calmly said “A private profiler, huh? I’d be interested in investing in something like that.”

As Spencer looked from face to face here, he realized that not only had his friends been far more understanding than he thought, but they were actually supporting him in this. They were standing behind him and throwing him their support. That meant more to him than anything else they could’ve done. Maybe a part of his life had ended today with the loss of his job. It didn’t mean that everything about this life had to end. He’d lost Aaron, yes. But he still had four very good friends here. Friends that hadn’t run away from all of this. They were true friends, ones that he was damn lucky to have.

Yes, a part of his life has ended today, but another part was just beginning. He found himself actually looking forward to finding out just what it held for him.


End file.
